


Where The Heart Is

by justanoutlaw



Series: The Lost Get Found [8]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Daddy Charming, Depression, Domestic Fluff, Ed is Hades, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kidnapping, Main Focus is Snowing/Charming Family, Mentions of past abuse, Minor Rumbelle - Freeform, Minor Swanfire, One Night Stands, Overprotective Parents, PTSD, Pregnant Emma Swan, Protective Parents, Unplanned Pregnancy, anti milah, charming family - Freeform, mama Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2018-11-09 16:45:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 53,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11108688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanoutlaw/pseuds/justanoutlaw
Summary: The sequel to "I Won't Let Go". 22-year-old Emma is back home in Storybrooke. Just when she thinks she has things all figured out, she gets a very unexpected surprise. Mary and David are still by her side, trying to help their little girl deal with the real world.





	1. Family Business

**Author's Note:**

> Well everyone, here we are: the next multi-chapter installment of The Lost Get Found verse. Probably one of the most frequent questions I get is: “When will Henry show up?” This is finally it. Though, he won’t be appearing until much later. As always, this story is first and foremost Charming family but there will be some Swanfire. I’ll be using “Times Like These” to show you guys exactly what lead to the issues they have right now. As for the logistics of this story, it’s been 4 years since Mary and David dropped Emma off at college. She’s officially back home now. She’s 22 and Neal is 8. While this story is not going to focus completely on Emma's past, there will be mentions to it. So, possible triggers will include mentions of past abuse, depression and PTSD.

“This is so boring,” Neal whined, kicking his legs a bit. Mary sighed, putting a hand on his back.

“Just a few more minutes,” she told him. She was trying to focus completely on the ceremony herself. It seemed like just yesterday she had been the one standing up by a podium while Emma stood nearby. Now, it was David’s turn.

 

Emma looked so serious. She was wearing a dark blue blouse and khakis, her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. There was no denying that she was in her early 20s now. Mary couldn’t believe that she was the mother of a college graduate or that her baby girl was going to be joining her father as the latest rookie in the Storybrooke Police Department.

 

She was nervous about that, a lot. Over the years, she had adjusted to being the wife of the sheriff. There had been scary moments (the school shooting fiasco being one of the biggest), but overall she was okay with it. Now, her daughter was becoming one. She was scared shitless. Storybrooke was a fairly quiet town, she just didn’t know what to expect.

 

On the other hand, she was extremely proud of Emma. She had worked her butt off in college and the progress definitely showed. She had spent 6 months at the police academy as well, which she also had to train a lot for. Mary found herself bragging about Emma constantly to just about anyone that would listen. As scared as she was about her baby’s most recent profession, she would never tell her that. She would just continue to be immensely proud.

 

David had the same feeling as he attempted to stay professional through the ceremony. He kept slipping a smile, which would also go across Emma’s face, though then she’d go back to being pensive. Graham was doing his best not to laugh at his spot next to the sheriff. There were a couple of other new rookies being inducted and they had already received their pins. Finally, David turned to his daughter.

 

“Emma, please raise your right hand,” he instructed. Emma obliged. “This is the oath of affirmation and allegiance for the Storybrooke Police Department. Please repeat after me, _I, state your name._ ”

“I, Emma Nolan…”

“Do solemnly swear…”

“Do solemnly swear…”

“That I will support and defend the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Maine….”

 

Emma repeated everything that her father asked of her, doing the best to fight a smile on her face. This was the day she had been working so hard for over the past 4 and a half years. Finally, she had finished the entire oath and David finally let a complete smile break through.

 

“It is my honor to welcome you as a member of the Storybrooke Police Department and present you with this badge.” He grabbed the badge from the podium and walked over to her, placing it in her palm while they shook hands.  “Congratulations Miss Nolan.”

Emma smirked a bit. “Thank you, Sheriff.”

 

Out in the audience, they could see Mary snapping a million pictures. Emma couldn’t help but laugh at that, completely breaking the stony look she had on her face the entire face.

 

There was no doubting that she was home.

 

Later that night, Emma stood in her room, looking around it. There were still some boxes to be unpacked, though nothing important. Pictures of Regina and Elsa hung up on her wall. While Elsa had returned to New York for work, Regina had moved to Storybrooke when she got an internship at the mayor’s office. Emma couldn’t be happier about that. The two had become very close over their college years. She also got along really well with Lily and Ruby, who were also back in town.

 

Emma’s eyes glanced over to another picture that hung from her mirror. It wasn’t a new one, in fact it had been there since before she left for college. It was one of those from a photo booth at the mall. She always forgot it was there and then when she saw it, she was hit with a million different emotions.

 

She and Bae had just been acting silly in the booth, making different faces. The one near the bottom was her kissing his cheek and the final was the two’s lips connected. She sighed, lifting it out and examining it. It seemed like a whole other lifetime ago. The two had seen each other since they broke up, they were still best friends. Just best friends. That’s what they had been since they met and that’s what they would always be.

 

Even if she wished it could be more than that.

 

“You alright, sweets?”

 

Emma turned around and saw her mom, smiling a bit. After she finished up the police academy, she had offered to find an apartment in town. Her parents had told her it wasn’t necessary. They had missed having her under their roof on a permanent basis. She wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be living with them, but she liked the idea of it. As much as they had missed her, she had missed them just as much. Three hours wasn’t a terribly long distance, but it felt like forever. They had all grown so close, being far apart wasn’t easy. She found herself loving coming home for holidays and breaks. She wouldn’t change the experiences she had for the world but it was good to finally be home.

 

“Completely fine, I don’t know why I still keep this around,” she said, holding up the photo strip.

Mary gave her a sympathetic smile and walked over, looking over it.  “When Neal and Gideon had their playdate yesterday, Belle said he was coming home.”

“I know, he e-mailed me.”

“It’s good you’re still friends.”

Emma nodded. “It’s what we started out as, we agreed no matter what happened, it’d be how we always were.”

 

Mary watched Emma tuck the picture back in its spot and lower herself onto the bed. She looked around the room. While some of it had remained the same over the past 9 years, a lot had also changed. There were more pictures of the family and Emma’s friends. One thing that had stayed the same was Emma’s baby blanket. It was folded up and put on the corner of the bed. Mary had no clue had that thing had stayed in such good shape over the years.

 

“You ready to start work on Monday?” Mary asked, absentmindedly picking up some of the clothes that Emma had discarded on the floor.

“Yeah, I’m pretty excited about it actually.” Emma smiled over at her badge. “I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time.”

“I think your father is pretty stoke about it too,” Mary told her.

“I just hope he refrains from the “princess” nickname in front of everyone. Might take away my credibility if I have my daddy fussing over me while I arrest a perp.”

Mary chuckled. “Well, I wasn’t so bad when I was your vice principal, was I?”

“I guess not,” Emma teased.

Mary settled herself on the bed beside her, pushing some hair out of her face. “When did you get so grown up?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Mama.”

“Seriously. Look at my big girl, a badge and everything. I guess I just thought you’d stay that cute little teenager that loved baking with me forever.”

“Oh, so I’m not cute anymore, is that it?”

“You’ll always be cute,” Mary told her, kissing her cheek, which made her daughter smile yet again.

“And FYI, I still like baking.  Even if I suck at it…I’m never too old to lick the bowl. Unless Neal has taken that spot away from me.”

“He’s gotten used to it, but I’m pretty sure he can share.”

 

As if on cue, the little boy in question appeared in the doorway of the bedroom wearing Spiderman pajamas. Emma found herself mirroring her parents in being sad at how fast he grew up. He was getting pretty tall and she suspected by the time he hit puberty, he’d tower above her (she had only ended up at 5”5). The two didn’t look much alike in terms of hair and eyes. While Emma had light blonde curls and big green eyes, Neal had darker locks and bright baby blues. The one thing they did seem to have in common was their chin and smile.

 

“Can I help you?” Emma asked, that smirk coming back upon her lips.

Neal shifted from one foot to another. “Can you please come read to me?”

“I would love to. Just say night to Mom first.”

 

Neal walked over to their mom and threw his arms around her. Mary smiled and hugged him tighter.

 

“Night Nealy, love you” she said.

“Night Mommy. I love you too.”

 

Neal took hold of his older sister’s hand and they headed into his bedroom.

 

“Brushed your teeth?” Emma asked.

Neal rolled his eyes. “Emma,” he whined.

“Go, unless you want all your teeth to fall out.”

 

While he scoffed and stomped out in the hall to go to the bathroom, Emma scanned the shelf for a book. She found the Roald Dahl book “Matilda” and plucked it off the shelf before settling down on the Iron Man sheets to wait for him. He returned a couple of minutes later.

 

“Finish up with everything?”

“Yes, you’re worse than Mommy and Daddy,” he informed her as he walked over, sitting next to her.

“Hey, that is about the meanest thing you ever said to me,” Emma told him, pretending to be hurt.

 

Neal just laughed and sat beside her, curling up into her side. She wrapped her arm around him and kissed the top of his head while she started to read the book. Neal could read himself, but whenever she was home, she got roped into doing it. Not that she minded, she loved getting to spend time with the little bugger.

 

“It's a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful. Some parents go further. They become so blinded by adoration they manage to convince themselves their child has qualities of genius,” Emma read aloud. She remembered loving the book at her brother’s age. She found herself relating to Matilda, a lot.

 

She had wished for her own Miss Honey and within a few years, she would get one.

 

By the end of the second chapter, Neal’s eyes were closing. Emma felt as though he had practically melted into her side. She decided she would stay for a little bit longer, just to make sure he fell asleep okay. Her own eyes began to grow heavy herself. Despite the bed only being meant for the smallest member of the Nolan family, Emma found herself falling asleep in it too.

 

David had been doing some repairs around the house and had missed a chance to say goodnight to Neal. He poked his head in and found his two kids curled up together in the twin size bed. A smile formed across his face as he took a picture with a phone (purely to share with Mary Margaret, he knew better than to post it on the internet). With the larger gap between the two children, it was sometimes harder for them to have traditional sibling moments. Little things like this seemed to make up for all that.

 

David walked over and grabbed a quilt that his wife kept on the top shelf of the closet during the winter. He carefully draped it over his sleeping babies, kissing the top of each of their heads. Neal was a quiet sleeper. When he was a baby, Mary used to get nervous because she couldn’t tell if he was breathing or not.

 

Emma, on the other hand, still snored. It was a cute, soft one, but it was there nonetheless. It had become something David didn’t realize he was going to miss when Emma left for college. When he had to work the rare night shift, he’d come home and do the rounds, checking in on Mary before changing into pajamas and going into Neal’s room. He’d go into Emma’s next and for a moment panic until he remembered.

 

Having her home for good was a great thing. He wasn’t stupid, he knew there was potential for her to move out once she had saved up enough, but for now he would just live in the moment. His sessions with Archie had taught him to do that much. Plus, he was blessed to get to work with Emma. He knew he had to be professional but it would still be a great thing. Emma didn’t seemed to be turned off at the thought of him being her boss, if anything she was a bit excited about that.

 

Yes, Emma was home, she was happy. He wasn’t expecting things to be like a fairytale, but things had been good. Emma still had to deal with her mental illness, but seemed to have it handled. She had sessions with Archie periodically and took her medication. Her nightmares seemed to be few and far in between.

* * *

The next day, David had to work the morning shift at the station while training one of the other new rookies. Mary had planned to spend the day with Emma and Neal, but at the last minute got called into a meeting.

 

“Are you sure you don’t mind watching your brother?” Mary asked Emma as she packed up her bag.

“Mama, we’ll be fine, you hang out with Neal all the time. I’m pretty sure he’s sick of you by now,” Emma replied as she sat on her parents’ bed. It felt like old times almost, Mary rushing around to get ready while she just chilled out on their comfortable mattress.

Mary rolled her eyes. “Well thank you, smart one,” she replied, sarcastically “I meant in your case. You start work Monday. You wouldn’t rather be doing something with your friends?”

“I already planned on spending the day with you and Nealy anyway. I’m going out with Regina, Lily and Ruby tomorrow. After I finish helping Regina unpack that is.”

“Does she need any more help?”

 

Emma smiled. Her parents had become sort of surrogate ones for her friend. Her father traveled a lot for business and they didn’t get to see each other as much as they liked. Her mother was not the type of person that Regina wanted in her life. Emma suspected that Mary related a lot to Regina, she hadn’t spoken to her own father since her grandmother passed years ago. He didn’t even know about Neal.

 

“I’ll make sure to ask, I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”

“Great.” Mary zipped up her purse and Emma followed her downstairs to where Emma was playing. “Nealy, I’m going now. Your sister’s in charge, be good for her.”

“I’m always good,” he replied, cheekily.

“Uh huh.” She kissed the top of his head and then Emma’s cheek.

“I was thinking I would take him to Granny’s and get some hot chocolate,” her oldest told her.

“With cinnamon?” Neal asked, hopefully.

“Is there any other way?” Emma answered with a wink.

“Awesome! I’ll go get my shoes!”

He scampered out of the room, causing Mary to giggle a bit. “I guess I can see why you’re his favorite babysitter.”

“Sorry, I’m just that awesome.”

 

Mary laughed again and gave Emma a hug before heading out. Emma grabbed her own purse and coat, helping Neal into his. The weather outside was growing colder, so she made sure to get their beanies as well. They made their way to Emma’s pride and joy, her yellow bug. The thing was getting up there in years. It had been her first car and if she had it her way, it’d be her last. She had a lot of great memories in that thing.

 

The drive to Granny’s was fairly short, with Neal chattering in the back about what he was up to in school. Emma nodded along, listening to the tales of a third grader. He seemed to be making lots of friends, which was a huge relief to her. One thing she wanted for him was to have more than she did at his age. He already did in terms of parents.

 

Once they got to the diner, they were greeted by Ruby. Neal perked up even more. “Hiya Ruby!”

Ruby grinned in return. “Hey Nealy,” she ruffled his hair once he removed his beanie. “What brings you two here?”

“Emma’s getting me hot chocolate.”

“Why am I not surprised? You two are Nolans after all.”

Emma chuckled. “You know me too well.”

 

Ruby lead the siblings to their usual booth and they slid in. She headed to the back to put in the order. Granny waved from her spot from behind the register. She had been told to take it easier lately and Ruby had insisted she was ready to take on more responsibility, but her grandmother was just too stubborn to accept that.

 

Once they got their hot chocolates, Emma and Neal took big sips, letting the smell of the cinnamon waver up into their nostrils.

 

“Yummy,” Neal said. “Though not as good as Daddy’s.”

Emma nodded in agreement. “Make sure not to tell Ruby that, though.”

“I won’t. You know Christmas is coming up.”

“Is that a hint? Are you expecting presents from me.”

Neal’s cheeky smile returned. “Maybe.”

“I might have gotten you a few things and if you don’t completely annoy me, I’ll give them to you.”

“I never annoy you.”

“Uh huh, sure.”

“I told Mommy and Daddy I want a bike.”

“Maybe Santa will bring it to you.”

Neal made a face. He had confided in her the year prior that he didn’t believe in Santa anymore, but he didn’t want to tell their parents. She had promised it would be their little secret. “Emma,” he complained.

“Just a joke kid, lighten up.”

“What are you going to ask them for?”

Emma shrugged. “I don’t really ever ask them for anything.” That was one thing that still hadn’t really changed. (Though, neither had her parents going all out for every occasion.)

“You never do,” Neal agreed, making another face. “Why?”

“I guess because I didn’t grow up getting to. It’s still kinda weird for me to have people that want to buy me things.”

“Oh.” Neal stared down at the cocoa for a minute and then his eyes matched hers. “I forgot you were in the foster system.”

“It’s alright,” Emma gave him a reassuring smile. “I got out of it, eventually. Mommy and Daddy are the best parents I could ask for. And then when they found out about you, they were able to adopt you.”

“Why?”

“Well because they loved you…”

“No, I mean, why’d you end up in the foster system?”

 

Emma paused, her mug inches away from her face. Slowly, she lowered it down and looked around them. It was a busy day in the diner and not too many people were paying attention to them.

 

“I told you buddy, the people I was living with…they weren’t very nice to me.”

“Your biological mom died, right?” Emma nodded. “What about your biological dad? Isnt he mine too?”

“Yes. But he’s not our dad. You know who our daddy is, don’t you?”

Neal nodded. “But we don’t have the same blood as him.”

“You know that’s not what makes a family.”

“Will I ever see our biological dad again?”

“No, absolutely not.”

“But why?”

“Because he’s a very bad man, Neal,” she told him, her voice catching a bit. “He did very bad things.”

“What kind of bad things?”

“I…just bad things.”

Neal frowned. “That’s what you always say. You never tell me.  I’m not a baby anymore, you know. I’m eight years old.”

 

Emma sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. Neal was right, in a way. He was getting older. Mary and David had always been up front with him about being adopted and telling him his story. They explained his biological mom hadn’t been ready and wanted to give him his best chance, so she let people who could take care of him raise him. They stressed that DNA didn’t make a family and that they didn’t love him and Emma any less. Ed wasn’t brought up a lot, all they said was just what Emma had. He was a bad man, who did terrible things. That had been enough for Neal when he was younger. He looked at him like a villain, no different than Scar or The Joker.

 

Maybe he was old enough to know the truth. Mary and David had always left that up to Emma. It was her story to tell, just as Neal’s was his own. Even so, she figured she should talk to them about it first.

 

Both her parents were home by that evening. Emma had managed to distract Neal with movies and games. He had gone to Gideon’s for a sleepover when she went into the kitchen. Mary and David were cleaning the dishes. David’s arms wrapped around his wife’s waist, kissing her cheek. The two were still sickingly sweet as ever.

 

“Save it for the bedroom, guys,” Emma said, leaning against the doorframe.

David pulled away, playfully rolling his eyes. “My apologies officer, please arrest me for loving my wife.”

“I don’t have my handcuffs yet,” she pointed out. Her smile faded after a few moments and he picked up on that.

“What’s wrong, Princess?”

“Can I um, talk to you guys about something?”

Mary wiped her hands on a rag.  “Of course. Come, sit.”

 

Together, they walked over to the table and sat around it. Emma looked up at both of them, unsure how to really start the conversation. David reached over, squeezing her hand.

 

“You don’t have to be afraid to tell us, Em,” he said.  “Whatever it is, you know we’re here for you.”

Emma nodded. “Today, when Neal and I were out getting hot chocolate, we started talking about my childhood. He was asking me about foster care and all that. Then he asked about why I was put in there. I gave the typical answer, that Ed was a bad man, but he got frustrated when I wouldn’t elaborate.”

 

Mary and David shared a look. They knew this day was coming and had meant to prepare Emma more for it. Gideon had recently learned that his older brother had a biological mother and learned all about Milah. Ever since, Neal had been wondering about his own past. As usual, though, they wanted Emma to decide when she was ready for him to know.

 

“I think it’s time to tell him,” Emma said, softly.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Mary asked.

She nodded. “Like I said, it’s time.”

“You know it’s your story,” David told her. “You don’t have to tell it.”

“I want to. He’s old enough, at least I think, I don’t know. You guys are his parents.”

“He’s old enough to understand. It may upset him, but he’s 8.”

“I just don’t want to hurt him,” Emma whispered. “I don’t want him to get upset.”

“I know you want to protect him,” Mary said. “We all do. The truth is, we can’t forever. If you want, your father and I could be the ones to tell him.”

Emma shook her head. “No, no. It should be me. You two should probably be there, though.”

“Of course,” David told her.

 

He squeezed her hand and Emma met his glance. He was giving her a smile, one he seemed to only give his kids and Mary. It was one that was filled with all the love in the world and it made Emma feel safe, secure. She gripped his hand in return. It hadn’t been too hard for her to open up to David and at the time, that confused her. Now she knew, though. He was always meant to be her father. He would always support her.

 

Which was a good thing, because outside having to talk to Neal, she was about to be hit with something bigger than she had ever expected to deal with.


	2. Nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to clarify something to all my readers. As you all know, Helga-Ingrid’s sister from the Frozen arc-is Emma’s biological mother. I’ve always referred to Emma’s bio dad as “Ed” but the OUAT character I had of him in my head, was Hades. So, do with that what you will.
> 
> Trigger warning: This chapter discusses past molestation and child abuse. Read at your own risk.

Emma settled a quilt onto the edge of Regina’s bed. “There we go,” she said. “All done.”

“I can’t thank you enough for helping me out,” Regina told her as they walked back into the kitchen.

“What are former roommates for?”

“You know I’d let you move in here, but there’s only one room.”

Emma shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m not sure that I’m ready to move out of my parents’ place for good yet. Is it weird?”

“Considering your parents are David and Mary, no. If they were Cora, well then…”

 

Regina made a face and Emma gave her a sympathetic smile. She had the unfortunate circumstance of meeting the older Mills woman. She reminded Emma of some of her old foster parents. Cold, a smile that never met her eyes and someone who constantly tore her daughter down. It was no wonder why Regina had chosen to take an internship in a town she knew little about and only knew a handful of people in. She needed to make sure she was permanently away from Cora and Emma was glad to be that escape. Ruby and Lily had become good friends with her as well, taking her under their wing just as they had Emma all those years ago.

 

“Has she tried calling you since graduation?” Emma sked while Regina poured out some wine.

She shook her head. “No, thank goodness.” She handed Emma her glass. “So…today’s the day, huh?”

Emma ran her finger over the rim, frowning. “Yeah.”

“You know you don’t have to do it. You said when he got back from Gideon’s today, he seemingly forgot about it.”

“That doesn’t mean the questions will stop. They’re put on hold for now. Besides, Ed is part of the reason he’s here, he has a right to know.”

“Are your parents going to be there at least?”

“Yeah, I thought they should be.”

 

Emma didn’t add she wasn’t sure how she’d get through it without them. On the one hand, she hated talking about it all, period, but especially in front of them. She knew they felt awful for all they had been through even though it wasn’t their fault. The look they got on their faces when reminded of it, broke her heart. She wished she could erase their guilt or make them feel better in some way, but also knew how impossible that was. If God forbid anything like that happened to Neal, she’d never be able to erase the guilt.

 

“How many people know, anyway?”

“Not too many,” Emma sipped her wine. “There’s my parents, Baelfire, my therapist, Ruby and Lily. Plus, you and Elsa.”

 

Emma hadn’t intended on telling her new roommates about her past. They knew she was adopted, but that was the extent of it. That was until she ended up having a terrible nightmare one night when they all fell asleep in the common area. She broke down in tears, telling them everything. She thought they would think differently of her, but instead it brought them all closer. They were there for her, a source of comfort whenever she was reminded of those horrible events.

 

“Are you scared he’s going to tell people? I mean, I don’t think he’d do it in a malicious way,” Regina clarified. “But he is only 8.”

Emma shook her head. “No. I think he’ll understand it’s just not something people need to know about. I think that’s what he learned from Gideon finding out about Bae’s biological mom.”

“I swear, between you two and Lily’s dad, what is it with shitty bio parents in this town?”

“I guess there’s something in the water.” She gave her a small smile. “It’s good to have someone who gets it.”

“Cora was never as bad as Ed and Helga.”

“Maybe not, but still. You get it, so does Bae. I think it’s why I’ve been the closest to the two of you.”

“I can’t wait to meet him, maybe knock him around some.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Regina.”

Regina raised an eyebrow.  “Emma. He made you cry.”

“He chased his dreams. I was just upset that what we had was over. He’s still my best friend, he’ll always be my best friend.”

“A best friend you still love.”

Emma took a quick sip of her wine so her friend couldn’t see her face. “You need to tell me more about that guy you met at the mixer at your work. What was his name? Sparrow?”

Regina rolled her eyes at Emma’s not-so-subtle way of changing the subject. “Robin,” she corrected.

 

Emma spent the time listening all about Regina’s latest crush. She had no doubt that the two would end up together. He had a kid, but that didn’t seem to be too big a deterrent. Emma was really glad to have Regina. They were a lot alike and sometimes that was just what she needed. She was going to miss Elsa and felt fortunate that her other roommate had chosen to move to her sleepy little town.

 

Eventually, Regina had to head to work, so Emma headed home. She sat in her bug for a bit once she pulled in the driveway. She shut her eyes, doing the breathing that Archie had once taught her to do, centering. She was 22-years-old, she had two loving parents, a family. She wasn’t going to go through that pain ever again. It was in the past, behind her.

 

She put her key into the lock and opened the door. She could hear her parents and brother watching a movie in the living room. Heading in, Emma saw the three of them cuddled up on the couch, “Despicable Me” up on the screen. It was one of her brother’s favorite movies, he loved the little minions. She had come just in time for the ending where Gru and the girls (plus the minions) become a real family. As the credits began to roll, Neal looked up and smiled at her.

 

“Hey Emmy,” he said. “Where have you been?”

“Hey kid,” she walked over, ruffling his hair. “I was at Regina’s helping her unpack.”

“It’s so cool that she’s going to live here.”

“I agree.”

 

Emma looked from one parent to another. They gave her a reassuring smile before David turned off the television. The two moved to the loveseat. They wanted to give Emma space to tell the story, but also wanted to be close by if she needed them. Emma lowered herself next to Neal, rubbing his back.

 

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” she said.

Neal raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t do it.”

Emma couldn’t help but laugh. “Did you do something?”

“No. It just seemed like the right answer.”

She rolled her eyes, poking him in the stomach. “You’re not in trouble, kid. I promise.” She drew a deep breath. “Before we get started, who’s our dad?”

Neal looked even more confused but pointed over to David, which made him smile. “Him.”

“That’s right. Even though we don’t have the same blood as him, he’s our daddy.” She couldn’t help but smile a little at that. For so long she hadn’t had a proper father. Then in a matter of moments, she got an amazing one. She wouldn’t trade David for the world. “You have to remember that.”

“I do.”

“Good. It’s just…remember the other day how you were asking me about why I ended up in the system?” Neal nodded. “Well, I didn’t tell you, because I wasn’t sure if you were ready to know. I…I didn’t have a great childhood, Neal. I had to grow up pretty fast. I didn’t want that for you.”

“I’m not a baby anymore,” Neal replied, matter-of-factly.

 

Emma’s soft smile returned as she took in his features. Sometimes it seemed like just yesterday when Helen had showed up at their door with the tiny baby in her arms. He had only smiled for her in those first few moments. She remembered how easily he fit in her arms the first time she held him, the speech she gave him that night when she snuck into his nursery. She had vowed from that moment to protect him from the world and she had done a good job. Now, there sat an 8-year-old. The same age she had been when Ed finally had his parental rights stripped away.

 

“I know,” she told him. “Which is why I’m ready to talk with you about it.”

 

Mary watched as Emma’s face shifted. She could never describe the look her daughter got when she talked about what happened to her. It wasn’t exactly pain, but it wasn’t anger either. It was unique, special. Even so, it broke her heart each and every time she saw it. David took hold of her hand. They wished more than anything they could just sweep Emma into a hug right then and there, but they couldn’t. Not yet.

 

“I’m sure Mom and Dad talked to you about good touch and bad touch,” Emma decided to start the conversation out in that way.

“Yeah. No one should ever touch you in certain places, they’re private. And if anyone does, you kick, scream and do whatever, then try to find a trusted grown up.”

“That’s exactly right,” she replied. She was glad with how her parents had handled that conversation, it was one she didn’t get until it was far too late. “But, I didn’t know that. At least not for a while. So…our…well…Ed, he touched me in places that were private. He had friends that would do it too.”

 

Neal was quiet for a moment and to Emma, it felt as if the room’s air was thick. She already had her mind spinning as she tried to not think about the terrible times she had been touched in such a way. She tried to focus on Neal’s eyes instead, in an attempt to figure out what he was thinking.

 

“Why?” He finally asked. The question was so simple and he meant no harm behind it, but it cut Emma like a knife.

“I…I don’t know why,” she said, honestly, biting her lip. “I think they were just very, very sick. They wanted to hurt me and they knew I couldn’t fight back.”

“Because you were little?”

Emma nodded. “He was…well, at the time he was my dad. All I knew was that. He wouldn’t just do that, him and my biological mom would hit me.”

“How long?”

“For as long as I could remember.”

 

David could see the tears building up in Emma’s eyes. She wasn’t going to be able to keep it in for much longer and he knew it. He went to stand up, but Mary took his hand. She had the same impulse that he did, but also knew that Emma had to do this on her own.

 

“Then one day,” Emma continued before her brother could ask anything else. “The cops came. They arrested Ed and Helga, took them away. They brought me to my first foster home and years later, I got placed with our parents. They became my forever family.” A single tear trickled down Emma’s face, but she wiped it quickly, so fast that her brother missed it but her parents didn’t. She could feel her chest tightening up.

 

Neal had this look of pain on his face. He wasn’t upset with Emma, but he was with Ed. He didn’t understand why someone would do that. He knew that adults did horrible things, he just didn’t think they had happened to his older sister. Now, why she never told him was starting to make sense. He could tell that she was upset, she looked like she was going to cry. He never saw Emma cry, ever, and he didn’t like it. He did what his parents did when he got upset and wrapped his arms around her torso.

 

“It’s okay, Em,” he said, sounding more grown up than he actually was. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

 

Emma sucked back a deep breath, those words alone made her want to break down, but she managed to keep it together as she continued to cuddle him closer to her. Eventually, it was just too much. She kissed the top of his head and stood up. Her parents followed suit, but she held up her hand.

 

“Please…I need to be alone.”

 

She ran out of the room and out the door to the porch. She slid down onto the steps, her breath becoming uneven. She couldn’t stop the memories anymore, they were there. The numerous times she heard her door opening, his cold hands on hers. The times she had begged him to stop. That horrifying polaroid camera, the flash that came from it. All the times she was forced to hide in her closet, hoping maybe they wouldn’t find her that time. All those unanswered prayers.

 

She could feel someone sit beside her and she didn’t even need to look up to see who it was. Her father’s aftershave always gave him away. He didn’t try to comfort her, not yet. He knew she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts.

 

“It’s not happening Emma, it’s in the past,” he whispered.

She bit down on her lip. “Daddy,” she croaked out, the only word she could find.

“He can’t hurt you anymore. You don’t have to see him anymore.”

 

Another memory suddenly replaced the others. It was a secret she had held within her for a couple of years. One she was unsure of if she was ever going to tell her parents. She realized, maybe it was time.

 

“I…I did see him,” she said, finally looking up into his blue eyes.

Confusion crossed over David’s face. “What? How? He’s in prison.”

“A couple of years ago…when I told you that I was going with Lily and Ruby to Boston. Well, I went there, without them. I went to see him.”

 

She could remember it as well as if it was yesterday.

 

**2 Years Ago**

Emma shifted from one foot to another as she was patted down. A part of her wanted to run. Her bug was in the lot, waiting for her. She could go straight home and just forget it ever happened. She wasn’t even sure why she was doing it for a moment. She hadn’t seen Ed since the day she was removed from their house.

 

She was doing better, she had a family. She just had to see him. She felt as though there were things she had to say.

 

The guard explained how the visit would go. He’d be behind some glass and they’d talk through a phone. The conversation would be monitored. She couldn’t bring him any presents, not that she had. She hadn’t even informed him of the visit.

 

Finally, she was lead to where a few other people sat, men in jumpsuits on the other side. Emma lowered herself into the seat she was directed to, waiting with baited breath. The door opened and a guard lead out a man she hadn’t seen in 15 years.

 

He looked the same, yet different at the same time. His blonde hair was greying and he had gained wrinkles over the years. Clearly, he had access to a razor, because his stubble was minimal. His eyes were the same, though. Those same piercing blue eyes that she felt looked right into her. He saw her and did a double take. He whispered something with the guard who nodded. A sly smile went across his face, making her feel ill. He settled into his seat, picking up his phone, Emma doing the same.

 

“Emma, Emma, Emma,” his voice came through the phone crystal clear and it took all she had not to shudder.

“Ed,” was all she said in return.

“It’s Ed now? What happened to _daddy_?” He mocked her.

“You were never supposed to be that,” she replied, trying to stay firm.

“It’s been a long time.”

“15 years.”

“Do we not have a no contact order?”

“It expired when I turned 18 and since you were in here, the courts wouldn’t renew it.”

 

Mary and David had fought so hard, but in the end, there wasn’t much the judge could do. Ed hadn’t reached out to her at all since she was 8 years old, he had played everything by the book. The best they could do was make sure that he had one with Neal, who was still a minor.

 

“Shame,” Ed replied. “So, what brings you here? Is Neal with you?”

“No,” Emma told him, her jaw locking. “You will never lay eyes on him.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Well, I do.”

“What are you going to do? Last I remember, you weren’t too good at defending people.”

“I was a little kid,” Emma bit back, finding herself losing her fear. “I’m not that same little girl anymore. I’m all grown up and I will protect him from you. Plus, you’re in here for a really long time.”

Ed just rolled his eyes. “If you came here to threaten me, I’m not interested.”

“I didn’t want to threaten you. For the past 7 years, I’ve been trying to get over what you did to me,” she told him. “For so long, I thought it was my fault, that I did something wrong. Now, I know it wasn’t. A few years ago I went and visited Helga’s grave. It gave me some closure, but I think I need more.”

“And you think I can help?”

“Why did you do it?”

“Do it?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

 

He looked her up and down, causing her to protectively cover herself. He just shook his head.

 

“I was just a little girl,” she continued. “I depended on you to take care of me, I didn’t have a choice. And you…you…” She bit down on her lip until she could taste the blood.

“I disciplined you.”

“Do not make this out like I was an out of control child,” Emma said, her eyes fixing on him. “This wasn’t on me.”

“You were there,” he replied with a shrug.

“Why did she have me? She clearly didn’t want me.”

“I don’t know,” Ed told her, honestly.  “I told her to get an abortion, but she refused. Said a baby would make things better. Then you came and I don’t know what changed.”

“Why’d you stick around?”

Another shrug fell across his shoulders. “She was a good partner, when it came to selling the stuff. As you got older, she turned an eye. Why rock the boat?”

 

That sick feeling returned to her stomach. He was so blasé about it all. While she had no respect for Ingrid, at least she seemed sorry for her role in things. He had zero remorse, he didn’t care how terribly he had treated her. She wouldn’t have accepted any groveling, but she wasn’t sure which was worse. Having done it and feeling bad after the fact or feeling absolutely nothing for the pain he had inflicted upon her.

 

“How could you do this?” She asked him, her voice breaking a bit. “I was your daughter! You were supposed to protect me. That’s what a real father does.”

“What would you know about that?”

“Because I have one now. He is an amazing man, one who would never do what you did. In fact, he’s disgusted by it. He loves me. He’s overprotective, but amazing. He taught me what a real father is! It took me 13 years to get him, but I know now. You were never a dad.”

Ed adjusted the phone. “This is helping you somehow? Yelling me about how shitty I was?”

“How can you feel nothing?” Emma practically pleaded. “How are you not sorry?”

“You expected me to be sorry? You are aware for why I got sent away a second time, aren’t you?”

 

Emma was. He hadn’t learned his lesson and had gone onto hurt even more people. She shifted in her seat, smoothing down her jeans.

 

“You’re sick,” she informed him.

“So they say.”

Emma shook her head. “I was starting to think coming here was a mistake, but I was wrong. It wasn’t.”

“And how is that?”

“Because I’m free.”

“Excuse me?”

“Not only do I get to leave here and do whatever I want, walk on fresh cut grass, drive around, do what I want...but I’m free in another way.”

“You’re losing me.”

“I’m free of you, Ed,” Emma said. She locked her eyes with his. “I’m free of you. You can’t hurt me ever again. You get to sit in your cell, make license plates, whatever. You will never lay a hand on me again. I am free of you and your abuse. You broke me a long time ago, but I’m not broken anymore.”

“So, walk out of here. Go back to be nothing, Emma, because that is all you will ever be.”

 

The words escaped her mouth before she even had time to think, almost as if they were a reflex. Years ago, she would’ve just ran out of there with her tail between her legs, thinking that his words were true, but they weren’t.

 

“I am _not_ nothing!” Emma shouted at him, finally snapping. She could see his face change. As a child, she never stood up to him. Outside the rare tantrum, she never lost her tantrum. “I was _never_ nothing!”

 

Her hands clenched the small space in front of her, as she continued to lock eyes with his.

 

“You don’t have power over me anymore. We’re done.”

 

Growing up, Ed always had the final word. Even back on the day that she was removed from his home, the words that he had said to her rang through her mind.

 

_"You will be mine again!"_

This time, she was the one who got the final word. She hung up the phone and walked out of there. She barely even signed out before she was lead back to the lot where her car was parked. It didn’t take long for her to double over, throwing up. Once she had finished, she leaned against her bug, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off her chest.

 

**Back In The Present**

David put a hand on Emma’s arm and she leaned into him. He wrapped her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head. A part of him was upset that she never told them about all that, but a bigger part was filled with pride. For so long, Emma had been broken. She had felt as though she was nothing. Then she found the strength to stand up to the man that had done all that damage. He would never not want to go to that prison himself so he could beat the shit out of him, but he recognized how important all that was for Emma to do.

 

“I am so proud of you,” he whispered.

Emma sniffled, meeting his eyes again. “You’re not mad?”

“I’m not happy that you never told your mom and I, however, I can’t imagine how hard all that was for you,” he pushed the curls out of her face. “Em, you were so brave.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know about that.”

“I do. Princess, I have watched you grow into this amazing young woman. One, I could not be prouder of. You were right with what you told him, you have never been nothing. I’m just glad that you see that.”

“I never could’ve done it without you,” Emma said. “I know it was up to me to love myself, but if it wasn’t for you and Mom, I wouldn’t have known how.”

“You’ve always been strong.” David kissed the top of her head. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

 

Back inside, Mary sat beside Neal. The two had been quiet ever since David followed Emma out the door. She wanted to be out there too, but also knew someone had to be there with Neal to help him through his own feelings on the subject.

 

“Is Emma upset at me?” His quiet voice came, finally.

“Oh Nee, no,” Snow placed a hand on his cheek. “You didn’t make her sad.”

“But she ran out of here crying.”

“Because this is hard for her to talk about.”

“Oh.” His frown increased. “I’m the one that made her talk about it.”

“No, she chose to tell you. She wanted you to know.”

“I can’t believe Ed did that.”

“I know, honey.”

“I hate him.”

 

Mary was silent for a moment as she moved closer to him. She definitely did more than just hate Ed, but she wasn’t about to say that. It wasn’t going to be helpful in the situation.

 

“I do too,” she said.

He looked up at Mary with his big blue eyes. “Why do people do things like this, Mommy?”

“Oh my baby.” She let out a long sigh, pulling her into his arms.  “Sometimes, there are just very sick people in this world. There’s no rhyme or reason, but they just hurt people.”

“He never hurt me.”

“That’s right and he never will.”

“But he hurt Emma. That’s not fair.”

Mary’s breath caught.  “No, it’s not. I wish more than anything that Daddy and I could’ve saved her. Now, there’s not much we can do, except let Emma know just how much we love her.”

Neal nodded and didn’t say anything again at first. “Thank you, Mommy.”

“For what?”

“Being Emmy’s family, and mine.”

 

Mary felt tears gather in her eyes. She cuddled him even closer, kissing his temple.

 

“I wouldn’t change a thing. I love my babies so very much.”

 

They heard the door open and Neal pulled away from her. She followed him through to the entry way where David and Emma stood. The latter had clearly been crying, but all tears had long since dried up. Neal latched his arms around Emma’s legs and she returned the hug.

 

“I love you, Emmy,” he whispered.

“I love you too, kid, more than you’ll ever know.” She kissed his head and then gave him a small smile. “I’ve had quite the day. Think we could just watch a movie?”

Neal nodded. “Lilo and Stitch.”

“Sounds good.”

 

Emma held onto his hand as they walked into the living room. Mary looked over at David, concern on her face.

 

“She’s okay,” he promised. “She’s more than okay.”

 

He explained what Emma told him and he could see his wife’s face go on an emotional roller coaster. When he finished the story, she let out a long breath.

 

“My God, we have such a brave girl.”

“That’s what I said. How’s Neal?”

“He said he hates Ed.”

“Well…that’s a pretty standard reaction.”

“I know, I didn’t add in my feelings on that. He’s just really confused right now. I don’t think he understands how he got lucky and got placed with us right away, while Emma went through so much.”

David sighed, pulling her into his arms. “We have a sweet boy.”

“That we do.”

“All in all, I think it went better than expected.”

“That’s for sure.”

 

David rested his forehead against Mary’s. She could see the stress outlined on his face and was sure she had the same.

 

“She’s safe,” she whispered. “She’ll never have to be hurt again.”

“We wouldn’t allow it.”

“Definitely not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that chapter was really hard to write. Normally I can get these out in a day, but this took a couple because it was just tough. The next chapter is going to be a lot lighter, I promise. As always, let me know what you want to see and I hope to update soon. Until next time, friends. =)


	3. Trevi Fountain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank loboselina who helped me with Neal’s arc in this story. It’s not so much seen in this chapter, but it will be shown in future ones. (Even though she’s gonna hate me for it haha.)
> 
> This chapter is rated M, I guess. I suck at writing smut, forewarning for the rest of this chapter. This also discusses past abuse, so read at your own risk.

Luckily for Emma, she had a pretty big distraction the day after she told her secret to Neal. It was her very first day of work. She was hoping to be right out there in the action, but Storybrooke was a small town. The biggest complaint that they received was from a cranky woman who didn’t like that her neighbors had already strung up the lights. Most of it was spent filling out paperwork and patrolling around with her father. She liked the quality time with him, but the shift seemed to drag on as a result.

 

“It’s not always exciting, Princess,” he told her as they got in the car to go home at the end of their shift.

“It’s alright,” she replied with a small shrug. “I guess I should get used to it. The town’s not all that big.”

“Just promise me when there is something dangerous, you follow protocol.”

“I promise, Daddy,” she rolled her eyes. Working with her dad was going to be great, but it was clear that he was still as protective as ever.

 

When they got home, Mary greeted them each with a kiss (lips for David, cheek for Emma), wanting to hear all about it. Emma giggled a bit at her excitement. Once again, she was acting as if she had started a new school or something. She had long since accepted that no matter how old she got, she’d always be their little girl. She settled into a chair, kicking off her shoes and rubbing the bottom of her heels. There had been a lot of walking that day for patrol.

 

“Where’s Neal?” She asked.

“Upstairs finishing his homework,” Mary replied, turning back to the dinner. “I think he missed you, probably got used to having you home these past few weeks.”

 

Emma smiled and rose to her feet, ignoring the slight pain as she headed up the stairs to Neal’s room. Sure enough, he was at his desk, though he wasn’t filling out the worksheet in front of him. Emma sat on his bed, picking up his teddy bear and flicking some fuzz off of it.

 

“Hey kiddo,” she said. He looked up and gave her a small smile before going back to staring at his work. “You okay?”

He shrugged.  “Why?”

“Because you’re my baby brother and I love you.” She stood up, walking over to him and ruffled his hair. “Come on, spill it.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

 

Emma tilted her head, studying him. That wasn’t like Neal, at all. He was one to tell everyone exactly how he felt, when he felt it. It had lead to some pretty awkward situations over the years, but that was her brother. She crouched down to his level.

 

“I think Mom’s cooking something healthy for dinner.” She made a face. “Wanna go to Granny’s for grilled cheese?”

Neal shook his head. “I just wanna stay home.”

 

She felt her heart sink a bit. Was Neal mad at her? She was going to ask him, when he turned around in his swivel chair (which David had bought him given all the fun he had at the station when he visited).

 

“I have homework, can I be alone please?”

 

Emma blinked a few times and pushed herself up, clearing her throat. This really was new for her. She knew she had done the same thing to her parents over the years, but coming from her brother hurt and worried her at the same time. What had she done wrong? If not her, then who? How could she fix it without knowing what it was?

 

“Okay,” she replied slowly. “I think I’ll go help Mom with dinner then?” She phrased it as a question, rather than fact, in case he changed his mind. When he simply just turned around, she bit her lip. “Alright, I’ll be downstairs.”

 

She walked out of the room, feeling her head spinning. What the hell was going on with him?

* * *

A few days went by and Neal’s attitude seemed to be all over the place. One day he’d be clingy, the next he was as cold as he was the afternoon that Emma checked on him. She had talked to their parents and they had noticed it too, but he was being just as coy with them. They all knew from experience, there was nothing they could do until he wanted to open up and actually talk about it.

 

That Thursday, Emma got a text from Lily, inviting her to come out that night with her, Lily, Regina and Baelfire. The last one came as a surprise until she remembered him mentioning he was coming back for a few days. She was glad that he was going to be coming out. It’d be like old times, well old times with Regina. She fit in so well with the rest of the group, she was sure that she and Bae would get along.

 

David felt a little weird that night as Emma got ready. Ever since she went off to college, there had been a weird shift in their house. He and Mary knew that she was an adult and didn’t need a curfew or anything. Even so, she was still their daughter. They worried about her when she was out late and asked that she at least called if she’d be out past midnight. She was typically very good about following that rule and was quiet when she snuck back in. He was even more nervous knowing that there would probably be drinking that night.

 

When Emma came downstairs, she was wearing a teal off the shoulder top and jeans, her hair thrown back in a ponytail. She was sorting through her purse when David decided to voice his concerns.

 

“Are you driving tonight?” He asked.

“Yeah.”

“Where are you guys going?”

“Just Granny’s, then we’ll probably head to Bae’s.”

“He’s never in town, I wouldn’t think he had a place.”

“Gold lets him sleep in the loft above the pawn shop so Gideon doesn’t get into his stuff, some of the cameras he has are pretty expensive.”

David nodded. “Are you going to be drinking?”

Emma sighed. “Dad, we’ve been having this conversation since I turned 21.”

“We’ll probably be having it until you’re 51.”

 

She rolled her eyes, sitting on the couch next to him.

 

“If I drink, I won’t drive. I’m a cop now, I know better. Ruby’s staying sober for the night so she can drive Regina and Lily home. I’ll have her give me a ride too, if needed,” she told him.

“And you know you can call me at any time. Or your mom.”

“Yes, Daddy.” She kissed his cheek. “I love you, even if you are insanely overprotective.”

“And I love you, even if you give me early grey hair.”

“Early?” Emma playfully smirked, leaving it David’s turn to roll his eyes.

“Aren’t your friends waiting on you?” He asked.  “Or would you like to be grounded until Neal’s old enough to go out drinking?”

“You can’t ground me.”

“I’m the dad, I can do whatever I want.”

 

Emma poked out her tongue and got up, stroking Oliver’s fur when he brushed past her.

 

“Tell Mom I said goodbye? And that I’ll be back by a reasonable hour.”

“Will do. Have fun, Princess.”

“I’ll try.”

 

It only took 10 minutes for Emma to get into town. She parked her bug in front of Granny’s, before looking in the rearview mirror. She fixed her hair and adjusted her hair a bit before gnawing on her lip. Why was she making sure she looked her best? It was just the girls.

 

And Baelfire.

 

“It’s over,” she mumbled to herself. “You’re just friends.”

 

She got out of the bug and headed into Granny’s. She immediately spotted Regina and Lily sitting in a booth together, quietly chatting. Emma headed closer and on the other side could see Ruby and Baelfire.

 

He looked the same, yet different at the same time. A bit scruffier, his hair had grown out more, almost resembling the locks he had when they were teens. He was wearing a beat up shirt and jeans, clearly having been on the road for a few days. It had been a couple of years since they had been in town at the same time.

 

“Hey stranger,” she finally said.

Bae looked up, that same smile spreading across his lips. “Hey Em.” He got up and pulled her into a hug. She enveloped her arms around him, neither wanting to be the first to move. If they had been looking at their friends, they would’ve seen Lily giving Regina a look.

Finally, Emma pulled away, kissing his cheek quickly before sliding in next to Regina. “How long are you home for, again?”

“Just a couple of days, then I head to Minnesota.”

“What sort of work do you do?” Regina asked.

“Photography. I work for this blog.” He launched into an explanation of the site before asking Regina about herself. The two were really hitting it off it seemed. She even said that he should meet Robin since they had so much in common.

Granny made her way over to the booth. “This seems like the old days.” She smiled warmly at Regina. “With a new addition. I don’t believe I’ve caught your name yet, sweetheart.”

“Regina.”

“Very nice to meet you. Everyone around here calls me Granny, well except Ruby, who’s gotten in the habit of calling me a stubborn mule.”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “Maybe because you are.”

Emma giggled a bit.  “Didn’t Whale tell you not to do anything too strenuous?”

“What does he know anyhow?” Granny asked with a dismissive hand. “Now, let’s see if I remember all your favorites.”

 

Despite her old age, Granny got them all right and even guessed that Regina would prefer a kale salad to anything. Bae was smirking at Emma as the older woman walked away.

 

“What?”

“Grilled cheese? Still eat like a 5-year-old, I see,” he teased.

“Oh, and like you’re so much better with your triple deluxe burger with extra fries.” Emma made a face. “You’re going to need a stomach pump.”

“Wasn’t that you after that party your senior year?”

“Are they always like this?” Regina whispered to Lily.

“They used to be far worse,” Lily replied, with an eye roll.

“You have something to say, Page?” Bae asked.

“Just that you and Emma are idiots,” she retorted, taking her Coke from Granny, who had walked back over.

 

The dinner went on and Emma found herself relaxing a lot more. Granny had been right, it was just like old times. Regina fit right in with the banter, already throwing some lovingly playful jabs at Bae, who took them like a champ. Lily ranted about her long days in pediatric nursing, though she clearly loved the kids. She worked for the same practice that Neal attended, which she already suspected was going to be fun.

 

“The kid will get all the lollipops,” she told Emma as they all walked to the pawn shop once they had paid the check.

“You’ll be his favorite nurse ever. Maybe he’ll actually like going to the doctor now,” Emma said with a chuckle.

 

They used the back entrance to get in, heading up a flight of stairs to get to the loft. It was truly very small. Barring the bathroom, it was all one room, a pull-out couch folded up in the center of the living room. All of Bae’s current photos were plastered all over the walls. He had his trademark duffel bag thrown in the corner of the room, a few cameras placed on some shelves.

 

“Mama went shopping for us,” he said, heading to the fridge.

“Sweet.” Lily plopped down onto a beanbag chair on the floor. “Belle always had the best snacks. Well, outside Mary’s cupcakes.”

“I still have dreams about those carrot cake ones,” Ruby agreed as she settled down.

Regina grinned. “She used to send Emma so many care packages. Elsa and I felt very spoiled.”

“I swear, if I didn’t run, I’d weigh 500 pounds,” Emma replied, heading into the kitchen to help Bae with the snacks and beer.

 

They all sat around the coffee table, eating and drinking. They found a cheesy horror movie on T.V with God awful effects and started to play a game of Cards Against Humanity. Emma barely drank her beer. She was on new medication and Archie had heavily warned her to not drink on it. Bae seemed to be holding back as well, not even finishing his first while Regina and Lily went to town on their own. It definitely made the game more interesting. It was Ruby’s turn to decide which card would be the winner.

 

“So the starter was, _I never leave the house without_ …” She picked up the first few cards which had some pretty average answers, but then came across the last one. “Collection of erotic sex toys?!? Alright, that one has to be the winner!”

“Yes!” Regina pumped her fist in the air, gathering the black card for her pile.

“Alright, I really like this new girl,” Bae said, with a chuckle.

Ruby looked over at the time. “Shit, I have an opening shift and still have to get these knuckle heads home.”

“Aw come on,” Lily whined. “Just one more hand.”

“No, we’re leaving. If you come with me, I’ll stop by Granny’s and make you a milkshake first.”

 

That seemed to perk up Lily and Regina. They gave sloppy hugs to Emma before heading to the door. Ruby turned to face Emma and Bae.

 

“You coming, Em?”

“I think I’ll stick around to help Bae clean up, you go.”

“Alright. Text me when you get home.”

“Yes, Mother Hen,” she teased.

 

Ruby rolled her eyes and went to make sure that her friends didn’t kill themselves on the stairs. Once the door shut, Emma let out a half laugh, half sigh and turned to Bae.

 

“I think it should be a rule that Lily is crazy enough without alcohol.”

“Noted,” he agreed. “So, you’re really helping me clean up?”

“I guess I’m just not ready to go home yet.”

 

She got up and started looking around at the pictures that were hanging up. Bae had just completed a trip to Europe, so most of them were from iconic sites, along with lesser known ones. She traced her hands over one of the Trevi Fountain.

 

“This is in Italy, right?” She asked.

Bae got up, heading over and inspected it. “Yeah, Rome to be exact.”

“Did you make a wish?”

He laughed.  “I didn’t think you’d be the type to believe in that.”

“I don’t, but I’d probably still make one.”

“I did.”

“What was it?”

“If I tell you then it won’t come true,” he replied cheekily.

 

She poked out her tongue and then noticed he was staring at her. She followed his glance and found it on her swan keychain. She smiled a bit.

 

“You still have it?” He asked.

She shrugged. “It’s still one of the best gifts I ever got.”

“It was like five bucks at a drug store.”

“I still love it.”

 

She realized just how close they were standing to one another and looked up into his eyes. She had missed him, so much. Her fingers reached up to trace some of the facial hair along his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her waist, shutting his eyes.

 

“Why is it every time I see you, I feel like we can just leap right back in?” He whispered.

“I wish I knew,” she replied, softly.

 

Their lips brushed against each other and she could feel those same butterflies she felt 7 years prior when it was their first kiss. She pulled him down onto the couch, deepening it. He pulled apart from her and out of habit, started moving down to her neck. She let out a tiny moan when he hit her sweet spot.

 

“Condom,” she breathed.

“Pocket,” he mumbled around her hair that long since fallen from the ponytail it was in.

 

She nodded and pushed him back onto the couch, hitting the lever so it would extend into a bed. She started to work off his shirt when her eyes came across his scar, being brought back to their first time.

 

She was 16, he was 17. It had come after a few failed attempts. Given her past, Emma didn’t always feel comfortable being touched. Bae respected that and never was angry with her. Finally, she felt ready. They had been in this very same loft, sneaking up there when his parents were out of town. He had taken off his shirt and she was reminded of the abuse he endured as a child. He had frozen, worried she would walk away, but instead she just kissed it, just had he had done with the scars along her arms.

 

Emma did the same once again, her eyes going back to him. “Handsome, sexy man,” she muttered. “No matter what.”

 

She worked off the rest of his shirt and he did the same with her own. His hands worked their way down her chest and stomach to get to her jeans.

 

“You feeling okay?” He asked, always looking out for her.

“Better than ever.”

 

Emma’s finger tips gripped his boxers as he fished through his wallet for the condom in question. She had gotten on the pill in high school, before she even started having sex. Her periods were just too painful, so Mary had helped her. But with the help of that, they had regulated and she stopped taking it in college. She was single and not sleeping with anyone, so she didn’t see the point. She had one boyfriend during that time, but nothing had come of it.

 

The first time had been awkward, neither had done it before. With practice and time, it got better. In that moment, Emma was reminded one of the reasons why she always had loved Baelfire. She felt safe with him. Making love with him was gentle, beautiful. She felt like a woman in his embrace.

 

When it was done, she found them tangled up within the sheets, her head laying on his chest. His heart was beating evenly in his chest. She shut her eyes listening to it, like a sweet lullaby. He was tired himself and started to mumble something about how she should probably text her parents, but she was too comfortable to move. For the first time in years, she was falling asleep in the arms of the man she was. Nothing could get better than that.

* * *

Come morning, Emma woke up with her back aching. She blinked a bit, letting out a small groan at the sun that was pouring through the thin curtains on the window. She sat up on the pull-out, blinking a few times. She reached around for her bag and pulled on her glasses, looking around. She was still at Baelfire’s.

 

As she reached down to pull on her bra, she could smell something delicious coming from the stove. Before she could get up and offer to help, she could hear his voice, clearly talking to someone on the phone.

 

“I leave tomorrow and then I’ll head out,” he was saying. “Yeah, I was just trying to see if it could wait, but if it can’t, I guess I understand.”

 

She found herself pausing in place. The night prior had been amazing. She had reunited with Bae, in more ways than one. It had been just like old times.

 

Now, it was a new day and reality was hitting. He still had a job that required him to travel. He was never going to be Storybrooke for more than a few days at a time. Emma loved her new career and wouldn’t change it for the world, but it also meant that she had to stay there. They were about to be separated again. There was a reason why they had agreed to break up the first time.

 

Emma could never regret being with Baelfire, but she knew that the night before had been rushed. She had wanted to feel completely back home and thought that would bring it to her. It had, but now it was being pulled out from under her again. She had to get out of there.

 

She got up and pulled on her clothes from the night before. As she shoved her phone into her pocket, she didn’t miss the texts and voicemails from her parents. How was she going to get out of that one, especially with the tears she felt burning in her eyes? She took a deep breath and swung her purse over her shoulder.

 

Bae hung up the phone and noticed her pulling herself together. “Morning,” he said. “I’m making eggs. Scrambled, just how you like…” He trailed off when he saw her face. “What’s wrong?”

“I…I have to go.”

“Go? I thought you had today off.”

“I do, but I shouldn’t have spent the night here.”

“Emma…”

“Can we just pretend like it didn’t happen?”

Bae frowned. “I don’t want to.”

“Neither do I, but we have to.” Emma gnawed on her lip, adjusting her glasses. “Why did we do that?”

“I guess the feelings we had never went away.”

“They do, they’re fine. And then you show up and I just…I forget what you do and that this…” She gestured around the loft. “Is never going to work out.”

“Em, please just hear me out. That call, it was me trying to extend my time here.”

“And you didn’t get it, did you?” Bae looked away and she sighed. “See? Bae, I am so proud of you. You’ve done so well for yourself. But that doesn’t change that we’re still in two very different places.” She shut her eyes, not wanting to cry in front of him. “We’re best friends and this, this can’t happen again.”

 

A part of her wanted him to tell her she was being crazy, that they could make it work. They were older now. That he’d stay. It was selfish and she wouldn’t hate him for not doing it, but if she could make a wish in that fountain, that’s what she’d choose.

 

The look in his eyes said it all. He wanted to stay, but just as Emma loved her job, his was his passion. He wasn’t ready to give it up, not yet anyway. She walked over to him, kissing his cheek.

 

“Have a safe trip,” she told him. “Text me when you get there.”

 

Emma walked down the stairs and was so distracted in her own thoughts, that she headed the wrong way. Soon, she was in the storage room of the pawn shop and bumping into someone. Her eyes looked up and she was face to face with Ralph Gold.

 

“Emma.” He raised an eyebrow, clearly trying to find the right words.

“Mr. Gold, I…I have to go.”

 

She turned on her heel and booked out of there, running as fast as she could to her bug. She dug out her phone and texted her mom that she was alive and would be home in 10 minutes. She took a minute to compose herself so she wouldn’t cry. Bae wasn’t the type to tell anyone about their times together. She had talked with her friends and mom about it, but this time she wouldn’t. There would be no evidence of the night before, she told herself.

 

But come a few weeks times, there would be a news story that would change all that. The brand of condoms that Bae purchased would make headlines for being recalled, urging users to get tested for pregnancy.

 

And for one blonde in Storybrooke, Maine, it would be positive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one wasn’t very Charming family centric, but I promise that the next few will definitely be. As always, tell me what you want to see and what you thought of this chapter. Until next time, friends. =)


	4. When Push Comes To Shove

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I know it’s been a bit since I updated this. I was so busy with July Jamboree and some other things, but I’m happy to be back at this. This chapter is going to show you some of the stuff going on in the other members of the family’s life.

Emma pulled her bug into her parents’ driveway and cut the engine, running a hand through her hair. She wanted to avoid the third degree as much as possible. She got out of the bug and headed inside, going straight for the stairs.

 

“Where were you?”

 

So close. She turned around to find her mother standing there.

 

“I’m sorry,” Emma said. “I just fell asleep and forgot to text you. It won’t happen again.”

Mary tilted her head. “Where did you fall asleep?”

“Lily’s.”

“That’s funny, because I saw Mal this morning when I went for a jog, she said Lily came home drunk last night and asked how you were.”

Emma paled. She suddenly felt like she was 16-years-old again.  “Mom, I really want to shower…”

“Were you at Bae’s?” Mary asked.

 

And there it was. Emma sighed, leaning against the banister. She could feel Mary’s eyes not leaving her. They weren’t judgmental in the slightest, just concerned. Mary wasn’t dumb, she knew what her daughter had been up to and the emotional consequences of that.  She had spoken with Belle several times about Bae’s job. He was never home and could only visit for a few days at a time. That was hard enough on Belle and Ralph, she couldn’t imagine what that was going to do to Emma.

 

“Why don’t you go shower and I’ll make some hot chocolate?” Mary suggested, not even needing Emma to respond with her whereabouts the night before. “We can talk about it.”

“Mom, like I said, I just need a shower.”

 

She headed up the stairs, leaving Mary to sigh. She remembered how Emma was after Bae left to travel.  She had spent most of that day crying in Mary’s arms. David had brought the girls tons of chocolate and snacks, they watched some of Emma’s favorite movies. It took a few days before she even smiled again. She really didn’t want that to happen again this time, but if it did, she would comfort her daughter, same as before.

 

Mary went back into the kitchen where David was fixing coffee. “Emma’s home,” she said.

“And?”

“I don’t think you want to know where she was last night.”

David made a face. “Can we ground her?”

“She’s 22, David.”

“I still can’t believe that. What happened to that little girl that showed up on our doorstep?”

“She grew up, unfortunately.” Mary frowned. “Just don’t be too hard on her. I know we worried about her last night, but something tells me she’s beating herself on the inside.”

David sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Oh, Bae.”

“It’s not his fault. He has a job, the two just can’t stay away from each other and then end up feeling hurt.”

“I can’t say I blame them.” He moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “True love is a pretty powerful thing.”

Mary smiled and pecked his lips. “Yes, it is.” She traced his cheek with her index finger. “Just do me a favor, keep an extra eye on her at the station this week. She may be feeling a little more vulnerable than usual.”

“Of course.”

“I’m gonna go wake Neal up, I can’t believe he’s slept this long.”

 

Mary turned and walked out of the kitchen. David was about to get out everyone’s favorite cereal when the landline rang. That was odd, since mostly everyone called their cell phones if they needed anything. Figuring it was just a telemarketer, he answered it to tell them to take them off their list.

 

“Hello?”

“Hi…is this David Nolan?”

“This is he.”

“David…it’s…it’s your father.”

 

David was silent for a moment. He seriously debated slamming the phone back into the cradle and going about his business. But for some reason, he gripped onto the phone tightly. He hadn’t seen or spoken to his father since he was 16-years-old. After James died, he fell into a drunken and depressive state. It destroyed his parents’ marriage and Robert left the farm shortly after that. David tried to contact him a few times, but finally gave up after he graduated college. Why should he care about a man that abandoned the family when he needed them the most?

 

“What do you want?” David asked, the venom not escaping his voice.

“I guess I deserve that.”

“You deserve me hanging up on you, but for some reason I’m not doing that. You have 5 minutes before my wife comes back down with my son and I have to.”

“Look…I know we haven’t talked in a while…”

“Try 21 years.”

“I want a chance to be heard. I heard from some people in town that you moved to Storybrooke after college. Maybe we could meet up, talk. I understand if you don’t want to…”

 

David bit his lip as he tried to weight his options. He had spent a long time being angry with Robert, hating him. At the same time, Emma had taught him a lot about depression and what a rough past can do to you. He had lost a brother, but Robert had lost a son. He was still angry with him, but maybe he could hear him out.

 

“There’s this diner…Granny’s, be there tomorrow at noon.”

He could hear Robert let out a sigh of relief. “Alright, son. See you then.”

 

The word felt foreign in his ear, he hadn’t heard it in a long time. He hung up the phone and leaned against the counter before taking out his cell phone and finding a number in his contact list.

 

“Hey, Archie…I know it’s last minute, but do you have any availability today?” He paused to listen to the therapist’s response. “Great…yeah, see you then.”

* * *

David paced Archie’s office later that day, while Archie sat in his chair. He knew better than to offer the sheriff any coffee, in fact he had probably had enough.

 

“I mean, it’s been 21 years.”

“So, you’ve said.”

“What could he want after all this time?”

“Sounds like he wants a chance to be heard.”

“I gave him the opportunity for 6 years, 6 years!” David exclaimed.  “He never called me back, he just up and left. My mother needed him, she had just lost a son too, you didn’t see her becoming an alcoholic.”

“David,” Archie gave him a look. “Everyone works in different ways. You’ve learned that through Emma.”

David sighed, sitting down on the couch. “That’s a whole other thing. I had a dad, until I was 16. He was great up until James died. Here I am trying to find ways to not go through seeing him again, when my daughter’s biological father…”

“You can’t make comparisons,” Archie said with a wave of his hand.  “Robert hurt you, just in a different way then Ed hurt Emma.”

“How am I supposed to let him back into my life? Into my children’s lives? They need stability. I can’t trust that he’s not going to just take off when things get rough.”

“That’s why I think it’s good that you agreed to meet up with him alone.”

 

David put his head in his hands. For so long, he had blamed himself for his father leaving. Had he not made things easier on him after James died? Was it somehow his fault for not offering to go on the tractor for James that day? He knew now it wasn’t his fault, but at the time, he needed to hear it from his father. He felt like he blamed him for so long.

 

“I have two kids. Whenever things get rough, I don’t even think about leaving.”

“Tell him that, tell him everything you feel. You don’t have to be kind to him, David. All I encourage you to do is listen to what he has to say. That’s all you owe him and hopefully he’ll return the favor.”

 

He slowly nodded and got up, shaking hands with Archie.

 

“Thank you,” he said.

“No problem. We’ll meet up later this week so you can tell me how it went, okay?”

“Okay.”

 

David headed out of the office and down onto the street. He found Emma walking out of the office supply store.

 

“Dad?” Emma arched an eyebrow. “What were you doing at Archie’s?”

“Um…” David didn’t want to lie to her, he swore he wouldn’t do that again. He had told Snow he was going to see Archie, but didn’t explain why. “I just had to talk to him about stuff.”

“Is everything okay?” David didn’t even have to answer, she could see the answer in his eyes. “Wait here.”

 

She turned around and walked into Any Given Sundae. She returned a few moments later with a cup of mint chocolate chip and another with rocky road, their two favorites. He couldn’t help but smile and accepted his, as the two started their walk down the sidewalk. Emma always knew how to attempt at cheering him up, just as he knew what worked with her.

 

“My father called this morning,” he said.

“Your father? As in my grandfather?”

David nodded. “He’s coming to Storybrooke tomorrow, we’re going to have a talk.”

“Oh, wow. How do you feel about that?”

“I don’t know how to feel. I know I have to hear him out, but he…he hurt me.”

Emma bit her lip. “I know. He took off after your brother died, right?”

“Yeah. It was a terrible time. My mom was a wreck too, but was trying to keep it together for all of us. He started drinking and things got even worse.”

“Is that why you don’t drink a lot?”

“That kind of stuff is hereditary, I never wanted to get like that for your mother,” he gave her a soft smile. “Or you and your brother.”

 

Emma nodded. Ed had been an alcoholic on top of being a drug addict, so had Helga. She could still remember the smell of booze that reeked off of him when she was younger. It made her happy that David didn’t drink often, he had never once been drunk in front of her. Then again, he did a lot of things differently than Ed ever had. Now, she could sort of see why her father had worked so hard at being a good dad. Sure, he was a great man and wanted her to know that she was safe with him, but clearly, he didn’t have a good father. Mary Margaret was the same way since she lost her mother at such a young age.

 

She put a head on her dad’s shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her, kissing the top of her head. “You know you have all of us if it goes bad tomorrow,” she said.

David smiled. “When did you get so wise and grown up?”

“When you blinked.”

“No more blinking.”

“That’s scientifically impossible.”

“Whatever you say, wise guy.” He was silent for a few more beats. “You wanna talk about last night?”

Emma gnawed on her lip. “Not really.”

“I mean, we don’t have to talk about everything…I um, am not sure I need to know…”

“Dad.”

“You’re a wo…woman, now and all…”

“Dad!” David looked down at her.  “Seriously, just stop.”

“Okay, but seriously…are you okay?”

Emma shrugged. “I need to get used to it. He’s never going to be in one place for long and I am.”

“You don’t have to work at the station, you know. If you wanted to follow him, your mother and I would support that.”

“It’s not what I want, though. I like it here.” She was quiet for a moment.  “You know, when I was younger, I never really had a home. I had houses, apartments, but never homes. Storybrooke, it was my first home, my forever home. When I went off to college, I missed it so much and I realized something…you don’t have a home until you just miss it. I never missed anywhere else, but I always missed here when I left.”

 

David couldn’t help but smile at her answer, kissing her temple. He kept her cuddled closer in his arms as they walked back to where their cars were parked. It was really good to have his little girl back home.

 

That night, he laid in bed with Mary, having told her what he was doing tomorrow. She laid her head on his chest and he ran his fingers through her pixie cut. She didn’t say much at first, not upset that he waited all day to tell her, but trying to find the right words to help her true love.

 

“Robert isn’t Leopold,” she finally said. “He had legitimate reasons for staying away. I know it doesn’t make it hurt any less, though.”

“That’s why I’m so conflicted,” David confessed. “I know he was depressed, that he had a problem.”

“You still needed him and he wasn’t there.”

David sighed. “Then I think about how the kids don’t have grandparents. Our mothers are gone, Leopold is never stepping within a hundred feet of our children again…”

“Damn straight.”

“But Robert…if he’s sober and wants to see them, are we wrong to deny them of that? Neal always asks about having grandparents. I think Emma would like to get to know him too.”

Mary turned a bit to look up at him. “I think they would like to get to know their grandfather, if it’s what you want. You are their father, their hero. They love you more than anything. I think, no, I know, they’d rather have you than a grandfather.”

David kissed her, looking down into her beautiful green eyes. “I kinda love you, you know that?”

“I kinda love you too. Kinda good considering we’re married.”

He chuckled and cuddled her closer. “What would I do without you and the kids?”

“I think the bigger question is what would we do without you?”

 

David made it through the next day pretty okay for the next part. It helped that Emma was working with him in the station on some paperwork. She was clearly grateful for the distraction as well, they were keeping each other busy. When it came time for lunch, Emma gave him a hug and promised she’d be there if he needed her. He reminded her a few times that he’d be at Granny’s, as he’d never left her alone in the station before, but she promised she’d be okay.

 

He walked as slowly as possible to Granny’s. When he walked inside, he was greeted by Ruby, who looked a little nervous.

 

“There’s this guy, he said he was meeting up with you,” she explained. “I wasn’t sure who he was, but if you need me to call Emma for backup, I will.”

David smiled a bit. “Thanks Rubes, but it’s fine.”

 

He saw the booth where Robert was sitting and paused a bit. He looked a little older, the years had clearly done a lot to him, but at the same time, he seemed the same. He still had the same blue eyes that David had inherited from him. At one point he had blonde locks, though now he was bald.  David slowly made his way over, unsure of how to address him. Dad didn’t seem right, but Robert…that wasn’t okay in his mind either.

 

“Hello,” he said, finally.

Robert looked up at him. “Son, look at you…you’re…”

“An adult now.” He settled into the booth on the opposite side.

“You look good.” He spotted the badge on his belt. “You’re a police officer?”

“The town sheriff.”

“Wow, that is quite the accomplishment.”

David shrugged. “What do you do now?”

“I manage a feed store about a half hour away.”

“Ah.”

“You’re married, you hinted at that on the phone.”

“Mary Margaret. We tied the knot a little before Mom died. Did you know about that?”

Robert winced. “I heard. It broke my heart to hear it. I loved Ruth, so much. I let her down so badly. I didn’t think I deserved a place at her funeral. I visited her grave a little later, though.” David didn’t know what to say in response to that. “Did you ever have children? I swear you were the only little boy I knew who talked about having a family so much.”

“I have two, Emma and Neal. We adopted them out of the foster system.”

He nodded, a small smile on his face. “I’d love to see pictures…”

“This isn’t a social call. You said you had things to say and I want to hear them.”

 

Robert sighed, but before he could respond, Ruby came by to take their orders. Once she returned with their drinks and left once again, Robert cupped his hands around the coffee mug.

 

“Losing a child, it is a terrible thing, something I pray you’ve never had to experience and never will. I didn’t know how to go on, being a father, it was who I was for so long. Sure, I was a farmer and a husband, but you boys were the light of my life. Losing James, it broke me. I could always tell you two apart, but seeing someone who looked just like him, it made it hard.”

“So, you blame me?”

“No, of course not. That’s just how my brain rationalized it.”

“It was hard on Mom, too, you know.”

“I do. She handled it better than I did, I think she went to speak with a therapist. I turned to alcohol. It numbed the pain.”

David sipped his water, a little bitterly. “Must have been nice.” He had nothing to numb the pain. He went from being a twin to an only child in a matter of moments. He didn’t have anything to numb his pain, in fact he hadn’t really coped with the loss until he started seeing Archie after the near school shooting.

“I know you needed me and I wasn’t there. To be honest, I thought about calling many times before, I just didn’t think you’d want to talk to me.”

 

David didn’t know what to say to that. Would he have even answered the phone 10 years ago? If Robert had called when Emma was feeling suicidal, would he have wanted to talk to him? Or would he have flipped out onto him about his own insecurities as a father, since he felt like he had lost his own.

 

He was doing all he could to avoid his father’s glance. It looked so loving, the way it had when he was a kid. It was all too much for him right then. He was 37 years old and had never more felt like a small child.

 

“I um, kept something. I don’t know if you remember it.” Robert reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver coin. “You gave it to me, when you were a boy. You and James dug it up in the fields, you said it was treasure.”

David smiled a bit at the memory, staring at it. “Yeah, I remember it.”

“I thought you might want it back, you could share it with your son.”

Once again, there was silence among the two of them. “Maybe…maybe you would like to give it to him yourself. You could um, meet him, Emma and Mary Margaret too.”

Robert grinned. “I’d love that.”

“Are you sober?”

“20 years.”

David nodded. “Congratulations. I’ll…I’ll talk to Mary and Emma about it.”

“Can I see pictures of them?”

 

Hesitantly, David pulled out his wallet. Graham teased him for still keeping pictures in his wallet in the age of smart phones, but he couldn’t help it. He flipped it open to the first picture of him and Mary on their anniversary.

 

“She’s quite beautiful,” Robert said. David merely nodded and flipped to the picture he had just put in of Emma and Neal from a BBQ that summer. “How old is Emma?”

“22.” Robert continued to look at him quizzically. “We started fostering her when she was 13, adopted her the day before her 14th birthday.”

“Oh, wow. I never saw you doing something like that.”

“The minute the social worker showed me her picture, I knew she was meant to be my daughter.” He flipped back to the picture that he had of Emma, one had taken right after she started living with them. “She was my little girl.”

“It’s weird to think I have an adult grandchild, I certainly don’t feel old enough.” He chuckled slightly. “Do they know about me?”

“They know you exist. Emma knows the full story, I told her when she first started staying with us.”

“And Neal?”

“I just said that you got very sad after James died and had to go away.”

“Honest enough for a kid his age.”

“He’s a lot smarter than he looks. He’s 8 years old and already has an answer for everything.”

“You were the same way at his age.”

 

David smiled a bit behind his water glass, not wanting to give it up too easily. There were a lot of ways that Emma and Neal seemed to be just like him.

 

“We can take this as slow as you need to,” Robert continued. “I know I hurt you, I won’t defend myself for that. I’m just sorry I’ve missed so much. You’ve grown into a fine man.”

 

David took a deep breath and nodded, mumbling thanks under his breath. He suddenly began to wonder if this was how Emma felt when she first came to live with them. Vulnerable, uncomfortable and scared. It made him want to wrap her in a big hug all over again.

* * *

Neal sat on the swings at recess, feeling a little bored. His best friend, Gideon, was a grade younger so he went to recess at a different time and his other friend, Phillip, was out sick. He had more friends, but they were all playing kickball, which was the one sport he didn’t like. He almost wished he had brought his book outside with him that day.

 

Suddenly, he could hear someone saying “Stop it”, over and over again. He looked and saw Carter Mulligan tugging on Alexandra Herman’s braids. He played with Alexandra sometimes since their moms were friends, she was always really nice. Except right then, she didn’t seem to be having any fun at all. Carter was always chasing the girls around and harassing them. The teachers never did anything, they said “boys will be boys”. Neal knew better, his parents had raised him better than that. Girls or boys, you didn’t harass them. He didn’t understand why some adults thought that if a kid is mean to another one, it means they like them. His mom always told him that was dead wrong.

 

Neal had been thinking a lot about Emma and how no one had been able to save her. He knew that kids could be like their parents sometimes. His dad said that Neal and Emma had the same chin, Emma commented once that their birth father had the same one. He didn’t want to be like Ed, he was going to make sure that no one ever got hurt.

 

He jumped off the swing and ran over to where Carter and Alexandra were. “She said leave her alone.”

“Mind your own business, Nolan,” Carter retorted, pulling on Alexandra’s dress next.

“No, you stop touching her!” Neal screamed, pushing Carter away.

 

In the process, Carter was moved away from Alexandra. However, he ended up tripping over her as well and fell face first in the black top. When he looked up, he was bleeding a bit from his nose. A teacher rushed over, looking between the children.

 

“What’s going on here?” She asked.

Before Neal or Alexandra could speak, Carter did. “Neal pushed me!” He cried out, crocodile tears falling down his face.

The teacher turned to Neal.  “Is this true, Neal?”

“Yes, but…”

“Come with me.” She signaled for another teacher to bring Carter to the nurse. “You’re going to the office. Violence is not tolerated whatsoever.”

 

Neal reluctantly followed behind the teacher to the principal’s office, dragging his feet the entire way. He didn’t even get to give his piece, all he heard was how wrong he was for pushing Carter, he had just been playing with Alexandra (not that anyone was asking her for her side of events). He was informed that he was going to be suspended for a day and that they were going to call his parents to come get him.

 

“They’re out of town,” Neal lied quickly. When the principal eyeballed him, he backtracked. “My sister’s taking care of me. You can call her, she’s on the sheet.” That much was the truth, Emma was one of Neal’s emergency contacts in case they couldn’t reach Mary Margaret or David.

 

The principal didn’t buy that Mary Margaret and David were out of town, but also knew that Emma was a rookie police officer. He figured that she would be able to straighten him out. After a quick phone call, Neal was instructed to wait in the chairs by the secretary’s desk. His teacher brought him his backpack and lunchbox while he waited. Eventually, the door opened and Emma ran in. She spotted her brother, who just looked at her with his puppy dog eyes.

 

Emma sighed. “Alright kid, let’s go for a ride. You have some explaining to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, Emma and Neal will have a little chat. =) As always, tell me what you think and what you want to see. Hopefully the next update won’t take me so long, but I appreciate everyone’s patience! Until next time, friends. =)


	5. Friday Night Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real quick before we get started, for those of you haven’t seen, I do have a remix of this verse up. It’s called “She Will Be Loved” and I think you all will really enjoy it. Check it out if you like! =)

It was silent in Emma’s bug as they pulled out of the elementary school parking lot. Neal knew he couldn’t be quiet forever, but was taking advantage of his sister keeping her eyes on the road. Eventually, she pulled up in the beach parking lot. Emma was having her own flashbacks to David picking her up from school after one of her first panic attacks there. She had been so horrible to him and yet, he had been forgiving. They unbuckled their belts and he climbed up into the passenger seat so he could look at her.

 

“Spill it, kid. What happened?”

Neal chewed on his lip. “Carter kept touching Alexandra, she was telling him to stop and he wouldn’t.”

“Why didn’t you get a teacher?”

He shrugged. “I wanted to protect her.”

Emma tilted her head back a bit. “Neal, you can’t fight bullies like that. You have to tell the teacher and they’ll take care of it.”

“I was just trying to protect her!” He fired back, causing Emma’s eyes to widen. Neal had typical childish tantrums, but he rarely exploded at her. “Why is that bad? No one is supposed to touch someone if they say stop! I wanted to protect her, because…”

 

He trailed off, but Emma knew where he was going with that statement. He could see the look in his eyes, it was similar to the one that their father often got. She reached over, putting a hand on his back.

 

“I don’t…I don’t want to be like Ed,” he mumbled.

Emma felt her heart break. “Oh Neal,” she whispered. “Come here.” She pulled him onto her lap and cuddled him close. “Buddy, you will never be like him.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because you’re a good person. Mom and Dad have raised you better than that.”

“Some people have good parents and still turn out bad.”

“That’s true, but you…”

“I don’t want to be like him. I want to protect people.”

 

Emma let out a deep breath. This was too much déjá vu for her. She could remember feeling the same way about both Ed and Helga all those years ago. She had hated herself for every similarity she shared with her biological parents. It had taken so long for her to just learn to love herself. She didn’t want that for Neal.

 

“Listen to me, buddy, I know it’s hard to know where you come from. You just have to know who you are deep down. You’re not a bad person just because Ed is your biological father. There is nothing you could’ve done to save me. You weren’t even born yet.”

 

Neal didn’t say anything, he just picked at a loose thread on his shirt. Emma kissed the top of his head. There was no way they were getting anywhere right then. In fact, she had a feeling just who Neal needed to talk to. She needed to discuss it with her parents first.

 

“You know I have to tell Mom and Dad what happened today, don’t you?”

Neal sighed. “Yeah.”

“I’m proud of you for standing up for Alexandra when she needed you. Please, next time, just tell someone first.”

“I will.”

“I have to head back to the station for a bit, why don’t you come with me? You can use the dust buster.” She knew that was one of his favorite things to do when he visited David there. “I’ll text Mom and Dad so they know you’re okay.”

“Alright.”

 

He climbed into the back seat and she headed off to the station. David and Mary didn’t ask too many questions when she texted them, but she figured that was just because they trusted her. The principal had already called to fill them in on the situation, not exactly trusting that Neal or Emma would. They said they would handle it at home once they got through talking with Emma. Little did she know, they were having a conversation of their own back at the house once Mary got done with work.

 

“He wants to meet you and the kids,” David explained.

“And what do you think about that?” Mary asked.

He sighed. “I don’t know. He said he’s sober and I believe him. I just…I want to protect them. Emma’s been through enough and Neal seems to be having a rough enough time already, he’s acting out at school. They need stability, not someone who’s going to walk in and out.”

“Does he seem like he’s going to walk away again?”

“No, but I never thought he’d leave in the first place.”

“David,” Mary bit her lip, trying to find the right words. “Are you really just worried about protecting the kids? Or are you worried about protecting yourself too?”

He ducked his head. “Maybe both.”

“And that’s okay.” She took his hand.  “This is all your choice. He’s your father. If you’re not ready for him to meet the kids, that’s okay.”

“You’re really leaving this up to me? We’re a team.”

“I’m okay with it as long as he’s sober. I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

 

David let out a deep breath, wrapping an arm around her. Mary rested her head on his shoulder. He would never get over that feeling, the one of her being there.

 

“We’ve been through a lot, you and I,” he whispered.

“We certainly have.” She laced her fingers through his. “I think that’s only made our marriage stronger.”

“I love you so much.”

“And I love you.” She tilted her chin up a bit so she could kiss his lips. “I’m going to support whatever you want to do.”

David nodded, cuddling her closer to him. “Maybe he could come over tomorrow night for dinner.”

“Okay.” She nodded. “I’ll get out the large knives.”

That was just the humor he needed to make him laugh. “Okay, you dork.”

 

A little bit later, the door opened and Emma walked into the living room.

 

“Sorry, was I interrupting something?” She asked.

“No, no,” Mary pulled away from her husband a bit. “Where’s Neal?”

“Playing in the yard, I figured we should talk alone first.” Emma settled down next to David and he saw his face. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“How’d the lunch with Robert go?”

“It was…complicated. What happened with Neal?”

Emma shrugged off her jacket. “Alexandra Herman was being harassed by Carter Mulligan. I guess Alex kept saying to stop, but Carter wouldn’t. Neal was just trying to protect her and pushed him. He said he did it because he couldn’t protect me.”

 

Mary and David frowned.

 

“Oh no,” Mary whispered.

“Then he kept saying he didn’t want to be like Ed.” Emma bit her lip. “I think finding out what he did really had an effect on him. Maybe…maybe it’s time he started talking to Archie.”

“That might be for the best, it’s a lot for him to handle.” She saw the look on Emma’s face. “Sweetheart…”

“I’m sorry,” Emma whispered. “This is all my fault.”

“Hey,” David took her hand. “What happened to you was not your fault.”

“No, but it’s my fault that Neal knows. If I had just waited…”

“Then he would’ve felt the same way, just a couple of years from now. Trust me, Princess, none of this is your fault.”

“I just never wanted him to feel this way. I mean, for so long, I thought…well…you two know what Helga did to me.”

He rubbed her back. “Yes, we do.”

“I never wanted him to feel this way, this wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“This isn’t anything you can control, sweets,” Mary said, soothingly. “You have always been amazing big sister. This is all on Ed, it has nothing to do with you.” She kissed the top of her head. “You have to believe that.”

Emma shrugged. “I guess.”

Mary wiped a stray tear that fell down her daughter’s cheek. “Maybe Neal isn’t the only one that needs to talk to Archie again.”

She nodded. “Maybe.

David kissed his daughter’s cheek. “I’m gonna go talk to Neal, why don’t you just relax, Princess.”

“Okay…Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

He softly smiled. “I love you too.”

 

David headed out back where Neal was sitting on a swing. He lowered himself into the one next to his. Neal looked up at him, frowning.

 

“Am in trouble?”

“Not a lot, I’m proud of you for standing up for Alexandra. You do know that violence isn’t the answer, right?”

He sighed. “Yes.”

“And you also lied to your principal. Telling him we were out of town?”

“I thought you and Mom would be mad.”

“Well we weren’t happy to find out that you had sent us off on an imaginary vacation.”

Neal made a face. “I’m sorry.”

“You know better than that, bud. You’re not in trouble for standing up for Alexandra, but you are for lying. There is no excuse for that.”

“Am I grounded?”

“For the rest of the night. No dessert or T.V.”

“Alright, I guess that’s fair.”

“It’s more than fair. Your sister also told us what you said.” He saw him pale. “You’re not in trouble for that, but we think you could benefit from talking to someone.”

“We’re talking right now.”

David chuckled. “I meant a professional. You know Archie helps people who have confusing thoughts. He really helped Emma when she was younger, I think she could do the same for you. No matter what you tell him, you won’t get in trouble.”

Neal nodded. “I can still tell you stuff, right?”

“Of course, your mommy, sister and I will always be there for you.” He put an arm around him. “You can always tell us anything.”

“Thanks Daddy.”

“No problem, big guy. I’m never going anywhere.”

* * *

The following day, David ended up getting off before Emma did. He kept feeling like he was forgetting to tell her something, so he kept giving her instructions on what to do to make sure Graham was ready for the night shift. She just kept rolling her eyes, she had shut down before by herself, she’d be fine. He headed back to the house and was hit by the smell of one of his favorite meals: fried chicken and mashed potatoes. He headed into the kitchen where Mary was cooking.

 

“It smells delicious,” he said.

Mary smiled. “I figured it might make tonight easier. Did Robert say what time he was coming over?”

“6:30, so we only have a few minutes. Where’s Neal?”

“Washing up.” She pecked his lips. “Do you want to come up with a codeword to get him out of here if we need to?”

“Hmmm…that’s not a bad idea. How about Philadelphia?”

Mary giggled. “Where’d that come from?”

“I don’t even know.”

 

There was a knock at the door. David ran his fingers through his hair before going into the foyer. Mary followed behind him, keeping a hand on his back. David slowly opened the door, finding Robert on the other side. In his hands were two bouquets of flowers.

 

“Hello son,” he said.

David nodded, the word sounded a lot less strange then. “Hi,” he stepped aside so he could come in. “This is my wife, Mary Margaret. Mary, this is…this is Robert.”

Mary gave him a wary smile. She wanted to be nice, but still a bit protective of her husband. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too.” Robert extended one of the bouquets. “This is for you.”

She sniffed the daisies. “They’re very beautiful, thank you. I’m making fried chicken, I hope you like that.”

“It’s one of my favorite meals.”

“David’s too.”

Neal came running down the stairs, but paused when he saw Robert. “Who’s this?”

“Neal, buddy, this is my…this is my father, Robert. Robert, this is one of our children, Neal,” David explained.

Neal looked at Robert, curiously.  “So, you’re my grandfather?”

Robert nodded. “That’s right.”

“Awesome! I always wanted one of those.”

 

Neal’s unexpected reaction got them all to laugh, it definitely melted away some of the awkwardness. Robert shut the door behind him and got down to Neal’s height.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Neal,” he said.

“Can I call you Grandpa?”

 

Robert smiled as his childlike innocence, but looked up at his son and daughter-in-law for permission. They both nodded, having already decided they wanted to make this as easy on Neal as possible. He was going through enough with finding out about Ed. Robert wasn’t anywhere near as bad as that horrible man. They wanted Neal and Emma to have a good relationship with him.

 

“I would love that.” Robert reached into his pocket and pulled out the small coin. “This was your dad’s when he was your age. Him and James found it in the fields, they called it their treasure.”

“James,” Neal’s eyes brightened for the first time in awhile. “That’s my middle name.”

“Really?” Robert wasn’t sure why he was so surprised.

“Yeah, Emma’s middle name is Ruth,” David explained, quietly.

“After our grandma,” Neal informed Robert, as if it wouldn’t be obvious.

“Oh, of course.” Robert quickly put on a smile. “Anyway, I thought you’d appreciate it.”

“I can’t wait to show my best friend, Gideon,” Neal said, taking the coin and putting it into his pocket. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, pal.”

 

The door opened and Emma walked in, balancing a pastry box from Granny’s in her hand along with her bag and car keys.

 

“I decided to get some donuts from Granny’s for dessert, a bear claw just sounded so good…” Emma trailed off when she saw Robert getting up off the floor with Neal. She tilted her head. “Oh, I didn’t know we had company, who’s this.”

Just then, David realized what he had forgotten to do. He had wanted to warn Emma about Robert coming over. “Emma, this is Robert…”

 

No further explination was necessary. Emma nearly dropped everything she was holding but caught herself. She looked from her father to Robert, feeling the anger begin to radiate in her bones. She had never had any good feelings about her grandfather. From the minute David told her that he had left the family, she had found him despicable. What kind of father just took off like that? She knew the pain it had caused him. She felt protective enough when her father said he was having lunch with him, but now he was here? He was really letting him back into all of their lives? What if he just took off again?

  
“It’s a pleasure, Emma,” Robert said, interrupting her thoughts. He extended the bouquet of lilies he had gotten her. “These are for you.”

“Lilies, just like Lily,” Neal laughed. He always found it funny that his sister’s best friend was named after a flower.

Emma just stared at the flowers for a minute before blinking and accepting them. “Right.” She pushed the box of donuts into her mother’s arms. “I think…I think I better go change before we eat.”

 

She pushed past Robert and stormed up the stairs. A moment later, the sound of a door slamming could be heard throughout the house. Mary sighed and David headed for the stairs, only to have the box thrust into his arms.

 

“No, let me,” she said. “I think I might be better.”

 

Mary headed up to Emma’s room and knocked on the door. Getting an angry “Come in”, she walked inside and found Emma throwing her leather jacket and purse down on the bed. The lilies had been abandoned in her wicker wastebasket. Mary lifted them out and gave her a look.

 

“Emma,” she said, in her most motherly voice.

“Don’t. What is he doing here?”

“Your father invited him for dinner.”

“And you think that’s a good idea?!?”

“Do not raise your voice at me, I don’t care how old you are, I still deserve respect.”

 

Emma rolled her eyes and flopped down on the bed, shaking her head.

 

“Your father is trying to give Robert a second chance,” Mary explained. “He’s sober…”

“Well that’s all fine and good, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for him to be here. Look at Neal, he’s going through enough right now. What if Robert decides to take off again?”

“Your father and I have already discussed this. We think it’s best for him to get to know him, he’s the only grandparent Neal has. The only one both of you have.”

“Oh no, that man is not my grandfather.”

“Emma Ruth Nolan,” Mary fixed her with a look. “I know we did not raise you to act like that. You know how seriously we take family around here.”

“Yes, family. Not child abandoners. He hurt Dad.”

 

Mary couldn’t help but smile at that remark. Emma and David had always had a pretty close bond. David was always protective of her and now it seemed that Emma was repaying the favor. She settled on the bed next to her daughter. She put the flowers onto the nightstand and rubbed Emma’s back.

 

“He did, but Dad wants to give him a second chance. I know you’re worried for him, I am too. But in the end, this is his decision.”

Emma sighed, tipping her head back. “If he hurts him again, I’ll kill him.”

“And I’ll help. In the meantime, can you please be respectful? You don’t have to call him Grandpa, but at least be kind to him.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll be nice.  Doesn’t mean I’m going to like it.”

“I would expect nothing else.” Mary kissed her cheek. “I’ll give you a few minutes to calm down.”

 

Mary headed out of the room and back downstairs. Robert was looking a bit guilty.

 

“I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” he said.

Mary shook her head. “It’s fine, Emma will be fine. Why don’t we all head into the dining room? I’ve made salads to start off with.”

 

Emma didn’t come down until they were halfway through the salads. Mary knew Emma didn’t like kale to begin with, so hadn’t accounted on her eating anyway. She settled down in the empty seat on the other side of her father, poking a bit at a roll that he had passed to her. He kissed the top of her head and though her mouth stayed neutral (no smile or frown), she gave him a kind look with her eyes. He gently rubbed her back, knowing she wasn’t upset at him, just for him.

 

“So, Emma,” Robert spoke up. “Do you have a job?”

“Yes, I work at my dad’s sheriff station,” Emma told him, doing her best to keep her voice even.

“That’s nice. David tells me you started living with them when you were 13?”

 

By then, Mary had brought in the chicken and potatoes. Emma began loading up her plate, taking a bite of the food before responding.

 

“Yeah, I did.”

“That must have been interesting.”

“I mean, as interesting as being a foster kid could be.” David gave Emma a look and she sighed. “It was a unique experience. I was very lucky to be adopted by them.”

“We were the lucky ones,” David said, putting a hand on her back and kissing the top of her head. She gave him a tiny smile in return.

 

The conversation was quickly changed when Neal brought up a book that he was reading. Emma focused on her food for most of the meal. Robert asked her a few questions, but could tell that she wasn’t feeling the most comfortable in his presence. The dinner ended with no bloodshed (outside the tiny bit of blood that Emma drew from biting on her lip from not exploding at Robert). After donuts, David walked Robert out to his car.

 

“Thank you for tonight,” Robert said. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you.”

David shrugged. “I’m working on it.”

“I want to see you all again soon.”

“Definitely, text me. We’ll make a plan.”

“I will…I don’t think Emma likes me.”

David sighed. “Emma and I are very close. She’s just…protective.”

Robert smiled a bit. “I think she inherited that from you.”

“She probably did,” he replied with a chuckle. “Just give it time. She’s been through a lot, she has some trust issues.”

“I will. I know I messed up, I’m just grateful for this second chance.”

 

Once Robert’s car pulled out of the driveway, David headed back inside. Neal and Mary were in the living room reading their own books, but Emma was nowhere to be found. He headed up to her room and found the door open. She was sprawled out on her bed, fast asleep. He walked over, pulling a blanket over her so she wouldn’t get cold. He noticed that the lilies were in a vase on her dresser and he smiled.

 

 

“I love you, my protective little girl,” he whispered, kissing her temple.

“Mmm,” Emma mumbled, rolling over a bit with her eyes still shut. “Love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! As always, please tell me what you thought and what you want to see! Until next time, friends. =)


	6. Raspberries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, two chapters in the course of a week! Shocking, I know. I just actually had this one planned out for a bit. Warning for this chapter, there’s discussion of abortion. Not one that actually happened, but just talk of the subject in general.

Neal had begun to see Archie and of course, things weren’t magically getting better. The Nolan family hadn’t expected that, they had been through it all before with Emma. They knew it would take time and they were going to be there for him, every step of the way. Meanwhile, they were also dealing with Robert being back in their lives. He would come over at least once a week for dinner and a few other times, David and Neal would go visit him. Emma was typically busy with work, though everyone knew deep down she was avoiding making a connection with Robert.

 

To her, a big part of it was that she didn’t want him to hurt her father or Neal. At the same time, she didn’t want to get hurt either. She had lost a lot of people in her life over the years. Ingrid had chosen to walk away from her, when she was the only family she had left. Helga had chosen drugs over her. It was a sensitive situation and she just didn’t think she could handle much more heartbreak. Emma kept wondering, what if she got close to him and then he walked away again? Could she really handle that? Even so, she was polite, just as Mary had requested of her. She listened to what Robert had to say and gave tiny details of her life.

 

Weeks went by and things were seemingly quiet. Christmas came and went, nothing was different there. There was always a lot of presents from her parents, even as an adult they still managed to go all out on her. Neal had even made her some crafts at school which she loved and she had gotten him a lot of new toys as well. Robert stopped by with gifts for everyone. Emma had to admit that she liked the bracelet he had picked out for her and she wore began wearing it on certain occasions, of course saying that it was only because it went with her outfit.

 

A little after the New Year, she started to notice little changes in her. It was nothing too big, but it just seemed off. Food was tasting a lot different for her. She couldn’t handle much spice anymore and found her hot chocolate being sweeter than ever. One morning, she couldn’t even stay in the kitchen while her mother made eggs, they made her feel like she would be sick.

 

The final straw for Emma was when she was getting ready to hang out with Lily, Ruby and Regina and realized that her sweatshirt wasn’t fitting properly. The zipper wouldn’t budge over her chst. This was after her bra had been a bit snug. Raising an eyebrow, she headed into her parents’ room where Mary was putting away some clothes.

 

“Can I borrow a cardigan?” She asked.

Mary raised an eyebrow. “I thought you called them my old lady sweaters.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “I think I’ve been putting on some weight, none of my sweatshirts will zip up past my chest.”

Mary chucked and headed to her closet. “Late puberty?”

“Maybe, is that possible?”

“You’ve been eating a lot more on the go with work, you’ve always been so skinny, I think it’s good you put some meat on your bones.” She tossed Emma a black cardigan that would go well with her outfit and then picked up the laundry basket that contained Neal’s clothes. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were pregnant.”

 

Emma stood frozen in place as her mom left the room. She started to do the math. It had been about 2 months since she had sex with Baelfire. Her period had been light, only some spotting about a month ago, but it had been like that for a few years. The condoms that Bae used had been in the news recently for being recalled, but she assumed she would know that she was pregnant by then. She knew her body very well.

 

All the signs were there, though. The sensitivity to foods, the nausea. She hadn’t gotten her period yet that month and it was due in a few days. Now her boobs were getting bigger. She tried to remember back to Belle’s pregnancy with Gideon. She remembered her once complaining about how sore she was, much to Bae’s embarrassment.

 

Emma began to panic. She couldn’t be pregnant, there was just no way! She was only 22! She was still a kid herself, sort of. She still lived at home with her parents and the father of the potential child was halfway across the country.

 

“Deep breaths,” Emma told herself. “You don’t know if you are yet.”

 

Suddenly, she heard voices downstairs. Regina, Ruby and Lily had arrived to pick her up. There was no way she could get them to leave without making her dad suspicious. Suddenly, she began to think about her parents’ reaction. Would her dad want to kill Bae? Would her mom kick her out? She knew she didn’t have time to think. She would just have to ask the girls to change the plans.

 

Slowly, Emma put on her cardigan and grabbed her bag from her room, before heading down the stairs where her friends were.

 

“So, what are you girls up to tonight?” David asked.

“We’re heading to Aesop’s Tables,” Lily explained. “It’s this hot new bar.”

“Just drink responsibly, please. No drinking and driving.”

“We’re going out drinking with a cop,” Regina pointed out. “Not sure how much trouble we can get into.”

David chuckled and kissed the top of Emma’s head. “Call me if you girls need a ride.”

“I will. Bye, Dad.” She quickly ushered her friends out the door. “We can’t go to Aesop’s tonight.”

“What?” Lily frowned. “We’ve been planning this for weeks. This is the first night that all of us are actually free.”

“We can’t go, because I’m not sure if I can drink.”

“Why wouldn’t you be able to drink?”  


Regina looked just as confused, but Ruby’s eyes lit up under the realization. She took Emma’s hand and tilted her head.

 

“I didn’t know that you two had…” She trailed off.

Emma bit her lip. “It was only once.”

“One time is all it takes.”

“I know that now.”

“Excuse me,” Regina interrupted. “Would you two like to fill us in on what’s going on?”

“I think I’m pregnant,” Emma whispered.

“Pregnant?!?” Lily exclaimed, only to have Emma’s hand clapped over her mouth.

“Keep your voice down, my parents are inside, they’ll hear you. I haven’t exactly told them yet.”

Regina looked her up and down. “How sure are you?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been sensitive to smells and my boobs are getting bigger. Now that I think about it, my period last month was only a bit of spotting and I haven’t gotten it again.”

“And Bae would be…”

“Of course. I haven’t been with anyone else.”

Lily nodded. “Since college.”

“No…since…ever.”

“You mean, you never…not even…I thought you and Walsh…”

“We were serious, but things just never got that far.”

“Well, I guess the plans have changed for the night,” Regina announced. “Let’s go to the pharmacy. Then we can head to my apartment.”

“I can’t go into the pharmacy. Mr. Clarke knows my mom, he’ll call her.” Emma knew that sounded ridiculous, but she was just too nervous at that point.

“Then I’ll get it,” Lily said.

“He knows your mom too,” Ruby pointed out. “And Granny.”

Regina rolled her eyes. “He barely knows me and my parents live nowhere near here, I’ll go in and buy it.”

 

They took Regina’s car to the pharmacy. Lily put an arm around Emma, rubbing her back as they waited. Regina was in and out in under 10 minutes. She tossed the bag to Emma in the backseat and she looked through it.

 

“Pregnancy tests…what’s with the water?”

“You’re gonna have to pee.”

“And the candy?”

“I was hungry,” Regina replied with a shrug, pulling out of the parking lot.

 

They got to Regina’s apartment and Emma downed the water before going straight into the bathroom. When she came out, she was nearly pounced on by her friends.

 

“It takes a minute, I set the timer on my phone.” Emma set the test down on a coaster with her phone next to it before starting to pace the floor.

Lily put a hand on her back. “You know if it’s positive, we’re gonna be here for you.”

Emma nodded. “I know.”

“Hey, come here.”  


Lily wrapped her arms around her and Emma laid her head onto her shoulder. She was grateful to have her friends, she really was. A part of her though, really wanted her mom there. Even though she believed that Mary was going to be mad at her, she needed her. She was 22-years-old and she wanted her mommy. She didn’t even care in that moment.

 

She pulled away from Lily when she heard the timer go off. “I can’t…I can’t look at it. One of you do it.”

Regina picked up the test and glanced down at it, before looking up at Emma. “It’s positive.”

 

Emma felt as though she had gotten the wind knocked out of her. She knew it was more likely than not that she was going to be pregnant, but there had still been that chance. The chance that she was just gaining weight and that her tastes were changing.

 

But there it was. She was having a baby. She was going to be a mother and it scared the shit out of her. She had only gotten a mom, a real mom, when she was 13-years-old. Her childhood had been full of pain and abuse. She had accepted the ways she was like Helga long ago, but would she be the same type of mother?

 

Could she even be a mother?

 

Emma slid down onto the sofa. There was something inside of her, a baby. “What am I going to do?” She whispered.

“You have options,” Regina pointed out.

Ruby gave her a look. “Regina…”

“Well, she does. I know it’s not what you two want to hear, but she is young. Being a parent, is tough. Robin’s been doing it alone for the past 4 years with Roland.”

“Who’s to say that she’d be alone?”

“Do you see Bae anywhere?”

“We’ve known him longer than you,” Lily argued. “Once he finds out that Emma is pregnant, he’ll come running.”

“Maybe he will or maybe it’ll be too rough.”

“Gee thanks, Regina,” Emma spoke up. “That’s really what I need right now.”

Regina sighed.  “I’m sorry, we don’t know how he’ll react.”

“If I even tell him.”

“Of course you have to tell him,” Lily said.

“I don’t have to do anything. He has his own life, one he was excited to get on with.” Emma stood up. “I don’t…I don’t even know if I could be a mother. A good mother. I don’t know how to do any of this! And Bae probably doesn’t either!”

“Emma…”

“I always wondered why Ed and Helga didn’t just get rid of me when they had a chance. I’m just…I’m not going to rule anything out just yet.” She grabbed her purse and gave Regina some money for the test. “I need some air.”

Lily stood up. “I’ll come with you.”

“Alone. I’m sorry, I’m glad you all were here for me, but I really need some space.”

 

Emma headed out the door and started walking aimlessly down the street. Her mind was swarming with thoughts. She was pregnant, pregnant with Baelfire’s baby. She would be lying if she said that she hadn’t thought about motherhood. She had thought about whether or not she wanted kids, if she could do it or handle it. Was she strong enough? Could she break the cycle of what happened to her? She would never intentionally hurt her child, neither would Bae, but the thought still scared her.

 

She checked her phone for the time. Archie would potentially still be in his office. A quick call to his secretary confirmed that he had a last-minute cancellation. She headed over there and the minute he opened the door, she barged inside.

 

“I’m pregnant,” she said.

Archie raised an eyebrow, shutting the door behind her. “Excuse me?”

“I’m pregnant. I just found out.”

“Okay. And is this why you called?”

“How am I supposed to have this baby? How am I supposed to be a mother? I…I didn’t even get real parents until I was a teenager!”

 

Archie poured Emma some water, but allowed her to pace around for a bit. He had known her for 9 years, he knew better than to try to get her to listen before she was ready. When Emma finally collapsed down onto the couch, he extended the cup and she sipped it.

 

“So, I’m assuming this wasn’t planned?”

Emma let out a deep breath. “No.”

“How far along are you?”

“It’s been 2 months since we….well…so, probably about that.”

“Does the father know?”

Emma shook her head. “Only Lily, Ruby and Regina do. They were there when I took the test.”

“So, your parents don’t.”

“How am I supposed to tell them? They’re going to hate me.”

“They’re not going to hate you, Emma. I’ve known your parents a long time, they’ll always support you.”

“My mom has never been able to get pregnant, yet I was off a one night stand.”

Archie nodded. “You think she’ll be angry about that?”

“I…I don’t know. How is it fair that someone like her who wanted a baby and tried for so long to have one, couldn’t get pregnant. Yet someone like me can off a one night stand?”

“Life works in different ways. It worked out for your mom so she could have you and Neal, just not in the way she expected.”

“And it worked out for me to get pregnant?”

Archie smiled softly at her. “You have options, I’m sure you know that. Do you think you’d actually not want to go through with keeping it?”

 

Emma was quiet for a moment. She had actually had time to think since she left Regina’s apartment. She knew her friends meant well, but their bickering over what she should do, hadn’t helped it the slightest. Emma bit her lip, playing with the fringe of her cardigan. The truth was, she didn’t think she could go through with not keeping it. She believed every woman had a choice and if she had to make one, selfishly, she wanted that child.

 

She just wasn’t sure if she could do it.

 

“I want this baby, but I know that’s selfish,” she whispered.

“Why is it selfish?”

“Because I don’t think I can be a good mother. Look at Helga, she thought things could be different if she had me, but that was clearly a mistake.”

“Was it though?” Archie chuckled when he saw the look Emma gave him. “Look at it this way, yes, the way Helga and Ed treated you was terrible and inexcusable. However, you being brought into this world, was not a bad thing. You have touched so many lives, your parents and Neal’s especially.”

“So, you think I should keep this baby?”

“I think you could do it. I don’t think you’d be like Helga. I know you hate that she’s a part of you, but I think you’re better than her. I think you could make an amazing mom.”

 

Emma tipped her head back, tears forming in her eyes. She knew what she was going to do, she was going to have the baby. She just didn’t know if she was going to be doing it alone.

* * *

Emma went back to Regina’s after her session with Archie and made up with her friends. Texting her parents that she’d be spending the night there, they ate pizza and watched movies. None of them talked about the two B’s: baby and Baelfire, they just enjoyed themselves. The next morning, when Emma walked through the door, she headed straight up to her mom’s room. Her mom was in the midst of getting ready.

 

“Where are you going?” She asked as she laid back on the bed. When she was younger, the bed had always seemed so much bigger, it made her feel safe.

“I was going to grab coffee with Mal and Belle. Your father took Neal to visit Robert.”

“Oh.”

Mary turned around and saw her daughter’s face. “Are you okay, sweets?”

“I…there’s something I um…I think I need to tell you. I just don’t want you to hate me.”

Mary sat next to Emma on the bed and pushed the hair out of her eyes. “I thought we were past this, baby. Nothing you could ever do would make me hate you.”

 

Emma nodded, looking up at her mom. She couldn’t understand the unconditional love she had for her. In her mind, she had screwed up so many times, she didn’t deserve all the love she got from her. No matter what, Mary and David were there for her. She knew she was going to need them to get through this.

 

“I’m pregnant,” she whispered.

 

Mary blinked a couple of times, wondering if she had heard her daughter right. Once the words had a moment to wash over her, she couldn’t help but think about the first time she had seen Emma. The tiny teenager in beat up clothing, just a baby, who desperately needed to be loved. The years had gone by faster than she would’ve liked, her daughter was 22-years-old and a college graduate. She would always be her little girl, but this was a way of it finally hitting her. She didn’t have a baby in front of her anymore, she had a woman.

 

Even so, she could see the fear in Emma’s eyes, the need for her mom. She pulled Emma up so she was sitting and wrapped her arms around her. Emma was caught off guard, but tightened her grip on her mom and buried her head in her shoulder. Mary rubbed her back, not saying anything at first.

 

“You’re making me a grandma before 40, huh?” She finally said.

Emma couldn’t help but laugh in spite of the tears in her eyes, pulling away a bit. “Guess so, sorry.”

“Is Baelfire the father?” Emma slowly nodded. “Does he know?”

“No. The only people that do are the girls and Archie.”

“Archie?”

“I was just really freaking out. I still am, I don’t know if I’m going to be a good mother.”

“Hey,” Mary put a hand on her cheek. “I know you’re going to be an amazing mother. I have faith in you.”

Emma let out a deep breath, still unsure.  “You’re not mad at me?”

“No. I am so happy for you. I’m going to be right by your side the entire time.”

“Promise? Because I…I could move out…”

“Don’t even think about it.” Mary kissed her forehead. “You’re our baby, we’re here for you.”

“So, you’ll tell Dad for me?”

“Nice try.”

Emma sighed. “I think I should wait until I have an ultrasound.”

“Whatever you want.” Mary didn’t like to keep secrets from her husband, but she knew this had to be something that Emma told him herself.

 

Emma’s gynecologist was able to get her in just a few days later. Mary took the afternoon off from work to go with her. After talking to Emma, a bit to get to know her and the situation, they gave her a urine test that also came back positive. To determine just how far along she was, they ordered an ultrasound. Dr. Isaacs waited for her to lay back on the examining table and put the jelly onto her stomach. She shivered a bit and Mary took her hand. The ultrasound was something she had never been able to experience. She had been worried about feeling what she had when her friends had been pregnant before they began to foster Emma, but for once, she didn’t feel it. She was excited and nervous for her daughter.

 

The doctor began to roll the wand over the gel. It took a few moments, but soon there was a different flicker on the screen. Emma could hear Mary gasp but she didn’t understand why.

 

“I can’t see anything,” she said.

Dr. Isaacs pointed to the monitor. “That right there, is your baby.”

“Oh…” Emma felt her heart skip a beat, finally seeing it among the black and white. “It was so tiny, I didn’t see it.”

“It’s about the size of a raspberry at this stage. I’d say you’re about 8 weeks along, which means we should be able to hear the heartbeat, I can see it on the monitor.”

 

Dr. Isaacs played with the different knobs for a bit on the machine and continued to roll the wand over the gel. Emma held her breath the entire time until finally, the heartbeat could be heard across the room. Mary started crying at the sound of her grandchild’s heartbeat, it was becoming real for both mother and daughter in that moment. Emma reached out and touched the monitor, her hand carefully tracing over the baby.

 

“You’re actually real,” she whispered.

 

After the appointment, Emma knew that she was going to have to tell her father. It wasn’t fair to expect her mother to keep the secret for much longer. However, there was one person she knew she had to tell first. It was something she had been struggling with for days. How was she meant to tell Baelfire? Was it really something she could say over the phone or via text?

 

Finally, she landed on using e-mail. It would be the best way for her to do it. Carefully, she used her phone to snap a photo of one of the pictures that Dr. Isaacs had given her. She took a deep breath as she started to write the e-mail.

 

_Baelfire,_

_I’ve been thinking about how to do this for days now and I guess I just have to say it. I’m pregnant. The baby is yours. I know maybe an e-mail isn’t the best way to tell you, but I couldn’t bear to do it on the phone. I just want you to know that I don’t expect anything from you. Maybe we could make it work with your job so you could still see him or her. Whatever you want, please just let me know. I’ve attached a picture of the ultrasound. According to my doctor, it’s the shape of a raspberry._

_-Emma_

 

Shutting her eyes, she pressed send and listened to the whooshing sound that let her know that it was on its way. There was no turning back now.

 

Little did she know that in just an hour’s time, she would be getting a response that would shatter her heart.

* * *

Milah had used the key she found under the mat outside of Bae’s door to get inside. She had been trying to get in contact with her son for months, but had been ignored. Milah didn’t take well to being ignored. In her mind, she hadn’t done anything wrong by taking off. She knew about Belle and that she had adopted Bae, but that didn’t matter. _She_ was his mother, not her. She was going to find a way to get him back into her life.

 

He wasn’t home, so she began to look around. The apartment was nothing to write home about, just a dingy loft with a pull-out couch that wasn’t made and a few dishes in the sink. She wandered over to his open laptop and admired some of the pictures he had been sending to his boss. She noticed he had a new e-mail from someone named, Emma. Milah had heard a bit about Emma from when she had secretly gone to Storybrooke. They were high school sweethearts that broke up due to different career paths.

 

Curiosity getting the best of her, Milah opened up the e-mail and quickly read it. This Emma was pregnant, supposedly with her son’s baby. She had been the same age as Bae when she got pregnant with him. It had destroyed her entire life, causing her to go into a downward spiral. She couldn’t allow that to happen to him, he deserved better than that. He would never have to know about the baby and she would make sure that this Emma Nolan never bothered him again. Quickly, she typed out a reply.

 

_Emma,_

_Never contact me again. I want nothing to do with you or that child. Getting involved with you was the biggest mistake of my life._

_-Bae_

 

She quickly pressed send and deleted both the e-mail from the inbox and the reply she had come up with from his sent folder. For an extra measure of precaution, she deleted the e-mails from his trash bin. Just as she was shutting his laptop, the door opened and Bae walked inside.

 

“What the hell are you doing here?” He asked.

Milah stepped closer to him. “I tried contacting you.”

“You did and I ignored you for a reason.”

“Bae…”

“Get the hell out of my apartment before I call the cops,” he began to reach for his phone.

Milah sighed. “This isn’t the end of this. You’re my son and you always will be.”

 

Milah walked out the door and Bae let out a deep breath. He walked over his computer to make sure that she hadn’t done anything to it. Little did he know that she had erased the evidence of the biggest news of his life and he wouldn’t find out the truth for months.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there’s that. I promise, I will fix it in time, but we won’t be seeing Bae or Milah again until much later in the story. In the next chapter, Emma will tell her father about the pregnancy. As always, tell me what you thought and what you’d like to see. Until next time, friends. =)


	7. The Sound of Heartbreak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter hurts, a lot. But there’s Daddy Charming, does that help? No? The line to kick Milah’s ass starts over there.

Emma sat in front of her computer staring at the words over and over again. She closed the e-mail, opened it again, trying to see if it was some practical joke. But there it was, it was real. The words taunted her on the screen as if he was saying them in real time.

 

_I want nothing to do with you or that child._

Baelfire. The man who had so many issues from his mother abandoning him, the one who swore he’d never be like her. How could he look at that ultrasound and feel nothing? Sure, Emma was terrified, she wasn’t sure just how she was going to do it. But the baby was coming, it was time to finish growing up and become a mother. She never thought that Bae would be that way, she thought he’d stick by her side. Even if they didn’t get back together…

 

_Getting involved with you was the biggest mistake of my life._

Every kiss, every touch, she had cherished every moment they shared together. Was every “I love you” that escaped his lips a lie? Just weeks ago, he had been begging her for a fresh start, for her to make it work. Now, he wanted nothing to do with her and why? Because she was pregnant?

 

Tears streamed down Emma’s face as she slammed her laptop screen shut. She wanted to scream, she wanted to run, just like she used to. The burning sensation raised in her chest and she flung herself back on the bed, a sob escaping her lips. She was rejected, unwanted yet again, by the person she never expected it from. What made it worse was…he was rejecting their baby too.

 

She thought back to her biological parents and what Ed had said about Helga’s pregnancy. She had wanted Emma, for whatever reason it was. She truly believed she could give Emma a good life. Ed had ruined all of it, though. He had been abusive and terrible, causing Helga to fall further down her path.

 

She never wanted her child to feel how she did, ever.  He or she could never feel unloved or unwanted for a single moment. They had to be surrounded by people who cared, people who wanted them. Throwing her laptop back open, she removed Baelfire from her Facebook page and blocked him on all other forms of social media, including e-mail. Next was her phone, she blocked his number. He had made his stance clear, but in her moment of heartbreak, she was making sure that he could never hurt her again. Being with her was a mistake? Fine, she would make sure he never had to endure talking to her ever again.

 

Emma jumped up from the bed and ripped the picture she had of them off her wall, tearing it into a million pieces. She threw the stuffed kangaroo he had once won her at the fair. Her hands went to the keychain that hung around her neck, ready to tear it off and throw it in the trash, but she paused. Slowly, she sunk to the ground, tears falling faster and her breath catching as she sobbed.

 

Emma didn’t even realize that someone was in the room until a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. The aftershave gave it away, it was her father. She buried her head into his shoulder as she sobbed, clinging to him for dear life.

 

David had no clue what was going on, but he hadn’t seen Emma so upset in a very long time. He cradled the back of her head as he held her close, just trying to get her to calm down enough to tell him what was wrong. He didn’t even bother to ask right away, he just held her, rubbing soothing circles on her back. He could remember Emma’s panic attacks, she hadn’t had one since she was in college.

 

Elsa had called him, freaking out a bit. She said that Emma had woken up from a nightmare screaming and locked herself in the bathroom. He FaceTimed Emma and talked her through the whole thing. The next day, he drove up and took her out to lunch. She explained that she was super anxious with the anniversary of her being removed from her biological parents coming up. The memories were returning and the attacks were happening more frequently, even with her meds. The following weekend she came home to Storybrooke to see Archie. David had been so scared of her relapsing, he wasn’t seeing his sassy, fiery Emma anywhere. It took a bit of time, but she returned.

 

Until that moment, when she was sobbing in his arms. He wanted to fix it, but he couldn’t. He didn’t even know what was wrong.

 

Finally, she slowly pulled away from him, her breathing evening out. David slowly wiped her tears away with his thumb, tilting his head. They nearly returned when she saw the loving look on his face. He had loved her from the moment he saw her, how could Bae have reacted so differently?

 

“Emma, Princess, what’s going on?” David asked.

Emma let out a shaky breath. “I…I’m pregnant.”

His face went pale. “What?”

“I’m pregnant. I’m…I’m going to have a baby.”

 

David stared at his daughter, his heart beginning to race. In that moment, his mind flashed to the little 13-year-old that had been brought to his home 9 years prior. Just a little girl, that needed a home and parents. He knew Emma was growing up and as much as he pretended he didn’t, he knew that she was sexually active. Even so, when he went to Mary about it, she promised that Emma was on the pill and being safe about it.

 

His little girl was going to have a baby, his little baby girl. Was she ready for it?

 

Was he?

 

The heartbreak in his daughter’s eyes told him that there was more, so he waited. He didn’t want to say a word until she got the full story out.

 

“I told Bae.” Emma sniffled. “I e-mailed him. He’s not interested, he said that he wants nothing to do with the baby.” She choked on yet another sob. “What am I supposed to do, Daddy?”

 

The words broke his heart. Emma was tough, she could fight anything that came her way. When she and Baelfire had broken up originally, she cried for a bit but then picked up and was fine. He admired that about her. If he had to be apart from Mary, he’d lose it.

 

But even the strongest people could break and his daughter was doing so before his very eyes.

 

David wanted to find Bae, kill him. He had once promised that he’d never hurt Emma, that he’d protect her and keep her happy. Yet, he had broken her heart. This didn’t make a lick of sense to David. After all Baelfire had been through with Milah, after all he had seen his father go through, how could he do the same to Emma and his child?

 

He pulled Emma closer to him and wrapped his arms back around her, resting his chin on top of her head.

 

“It’s going to be okay,” he told her.

“How do you know that?”

“Because I do. Baelfire is an idiot. I won’t lie and tell you it’s going to be easy, but you can do this, Emma. You are one of the strongest people I know.”

Emma let out another shaky breath. “When I saw Bae again…I was scared…I was so hurt the first time he left and every time he comes back, I realize how much I love him. But I told him to go, that I didn’t want to be with him. I was just afraid, afraid of being happy again. Maybe if I had just…”

“Hey, Emma, this is not your fault.” David tilted her chin to look at him. “No matter what, he should want to be there for your child, that is what a real father does.” He bit his lip. “I just hope it doesn’t take him the years it took Robert to be to realize what he was missing.”

Emma shook her head. “There’s no going back from this. I won’t let him hurt this baby like we were hurt. If he wants to be gone, that’s fine. But then I never want to see him again.”

 

David paused. He knew Emma was hurting, but he also knew that Baelfire was most likely in shock. There was a chance he could calm down and come around. Emma was in the early stages of a pregnancy, heartbroken and hormonal. He knew it wasn’t the time to say any of that. The baby was hers and he couldn’t tell her how to handle him or her. He just hoped that she wouldn’t make any choices that she couldn’t take back, like shutting the door on Bae coming back at all.

 

He couldn’t think too much about him, though. Emma had to be his main priority, well her and the baby.

 

“Geez Em, I don’t know if I’m old enough to be a grandpa,” he managed to joke, running his hand through his hair.

Emma laughed a bit, in spite of her tears and wiped the stray ones away. “That’s what Mom said.” She bit her lip. “I told her first.”

“That’s fine. I’m just glad you felt comfortable telling one of us.” He kissed her cheek.  “We’re here for you, Emma, no matter what.”

“I was thinking of looking for an apartment…”

“Emma, no. You need to focus on the baby right now,” David’s voice grew serious.  “You can stay here, forever. This is your home and it’ll be my grandchild’s as well.”

“That’s also what Mom said.”

“Great minds think alike. Now about your job…”

“I am not going on desk duty,” Emma told him straight away.

David sighed. He should’ve seen that one coming. “Em, you’re pregnant…”

“And pregnant women can do anything.” She folded her arms over her chest. “You’re not winning this one, Dad.”

He rolled his eyes. “Stubborn as ever. Fine. If your doctor says you need to…”

“Then I will. But for now, no treating me any differently than everyone else.”

“It’s a deal.”

“Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you do me a favor and not tell anyone? Regina, Lily, Ruby and Mom know,” Emma explained. “I’ll tell Neal too. I just…I don’t want to make a big fuss of it right now.”

 

David knew she meant that she didn’t want Ralph and Belle finding out. He couldn’t blame her, they were not going to be happy with their son.

 

“Sure, baby, whatever you want.” David gave her a soft smile. “How about we go drink some hot chocolate?”

“Sounds really good.”

 

The two headed downstairs to the kitchen and were quiet as they sipped their hot drinks. Emma realized that her father had given her the mug with the two of them on it. It had faded a bit over the years and there was a tiny crack from where Neal had once dropped it, but overall it stayed the same. Things had changed so much since the picture was taken, she felt like a completely different person. In just 7 months, she’d be changing yet again.

 

Eventually, Emma had to head to the station for her shift. David watched her go with a pang in his heart. He knew she was holding back pain and he just wanted to protect her all from it.

 

When the door opened and Mary came in holding an armload of groceries, she saw the look on his face. Instantly, she lowered them onto the counter.

 

“She told you.”

David nodded.  “She did.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t, I just…”

“No, this was something she had to tell me.” David slid onto the stool at the island. “There’s more, Mary. Bae doesn’t want anything to do with the baby.”

Mary gripped the edge of the counter. “But that makes no sense, after everything he’s been through, after everything he knows Emma has…”

“I know. She didn’t take it well, she says she never wants to see him again.”

Mary frowned. “Well, while I’d like to bash his face through a wall…”

“We all know people change their minds. Robert did.”

“Our poor baby,” Mary murmured. “This pregnancy was going to be hard enough.”

“How is she going to do this?” Mary’s eyes shut up to him. “I love her, Mary. I love her more than anything. But she’s so young, her body’s been through so much. Is she going to be able to have a baby?”

“She’s strong, David. Women have babies every day, now Emma is going to be one of them.”

“Are you okay?”

 

Mary didn’t have to ask what he meant. The thought had been in the back of her mind ever since Emma told her that she was pregnant. She loved her children, she wouldn’t trade them for the world. However, there was a point when finding out that someone was pregnant would cause her to want to curl up in bed.

 

“It’s been so long, this doesn’t upset me anymore. I love Emma and I already love our grandbaby.” She shrugged. “We have our two beautiful children, I don’t need to get pregnant to know what it’s like to be a mother.”

David smiled and kissed her. “I love you, you know that.”

“And I love you. We’ll help Emma with this, just as we have before.”

“But how? This is different.”

“I don’t know, but we’ve figured it out before, we can this time.”

 

Mary reached into her bag and pulled out the copy of the ultrasound photo that Emma had given her. She kept it tucked hidden behind a picture of Neal so no one would be able to see it. Slowly, she handed it over to David.

 

“That’s our grandbaby.”

His eyes softened a bit. “They’re so small.”

“I know. From Emma’s records, she was a tiny baby. I wonder if this one will be too.”

“She’s still so tiny.”

“She’s strong,” Mary told him. “She can do this. We can help her through it.”

David took his hands into hers. “Another crazy adventure.”

“To add another leaf to this amazing family tree.”

“She told me not to tell anyone, I’m sure that means Gold and Belle.”

“Yeah, she said the same to me.” Mary sighed. “We have to respect her wishes right now. She’s hurting, this is all a big change.”

“I just hope she doesn’t do anything she doesn’t regret.”

“She has to do what’s best for her baby.”

David sighed. “Hopefully when they find out, they can talk some sense into their son.”

“Let’s just focus on Emma right now, she’s our number one priority.”

“She and Neal always are, always will be,” he agreed, kissing her.

* * *

Emma sat on the sidelines, sticking her hands in her pockets. Neal was running around the field, doing drills. Her parents had asked her to take him to soccer on her day off and she agreed. A Neal fix was what she needed. She hadn’t told anyone else about Bae’s reaction and wasn’t sure when she would. Her family had been the distraction she definitely needed from everything. There was one person that she knew she needed to tell, though.

 

Sometimes with the age difference she had with Neal, she felt like a third parent to him. They had a special bond, one she wouldn’t change for the world. He was her baby brother, to him, she had hung the moon. He was going through enough changes as it was, with finding out what Ed did and all of his emotions surrounding it. How was he going to take yet another one?

 

When the practice finished, Emma put an arm around him and walked him over to the playground close by. They laid back on the merry go round pad, Emma spinning it. Neal was quiet, clearly he had a rough day already. He reminded her a lot of how she was when she first came to live with their parents, closed off. However, she knew if she waited to tell him, it’d just hurt him more.

 

“I’m having a baby,” she said.

Neal was quiet for a minute. “What?”

“I’m pregnant, there’s a baby in my tummy.”

More silence. “Why?”

“Why?”

“Why are you going to have a baby?”

 

Emma didn’t know what to say to that. She knew that her parents had gone over the whole “How babies are made” discussion when Ella got pregnant again, he had recited it word for word to her surprise.

 

“Mommy and Daddy said most people wait until they’re married,” Neal continued. “You’re not married.”

“Well…no. This wasn’t planned.”

“My biological mom didn’t plan on me either and she gave me up. Are you gonna give your baby up?”

“No. I’m going to keep him or her.”

“Oh.”

“You know this means you’re going to be an uncle.”

“I don’t know how to be one.”

“You’ll be good at it.”

 

Once again, there was silence. Emma maneuvered so she could look over at him. He looked over at her with big eyes, filled with confusion and possibly hurt.

 

“I didn’t do this to replace you,” she said, softly.

Neal bit his lip. “I’ve always been the baby.”

“I know, Nee.”

“I don’t want there to be another baby.”

“Trust me, I get it.”

“How?”

“You know, I wasn’t too sure about you before you showed up.” Together, the two sat up, holding onto the bars of the merry go round. “I didn’t know that it was going to be you at first. Mom and Dad said that they wanted to adopt another baby, I wasn’t sure how to feel.”

“Because you were the baby?”

Emma chuckled, reflecting on her 15-year-old self. “You could say that. I felt like I had just gotten them and they wanted another child. I knew they didn’t want to replace me, but it still felt weird. I liked how things were, just the three of us. But then, they told me about you. How you were my baby brother and you needed a home and I realized that I wanted you there right away. Waiting for you to come those few months was hard.”

Neal smiled a bit. “We became a family.”

Emma ruffled his hair. “We did. This baby is just another member of our family. I know you’re not excited about it right now, but I think in time you’ll realize it’s going to be a good thing.”

 

A part of her was talking to herself. She was still scared out of her mind. She didn’t know if she was going to be a good mom or screw the kid up. The truth was, he or she was coming whether she was ready or not. She had to focus on that fact and not how she’d handle it.

 

“Am I still your baby brother?” Neal’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

Emma wrapped an arm around him. “Always. Am I still your big sister?”

“Well, duh.”

“Oh, duh, huh?” She tickled his side and kissed his cheek.

“I’ll help you with the baby,” he offered.

Emma smiled. “Thanks, buddy. But I think all you’ll have to do is play with him or her.”

“Emmy?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you please have a boy?”

She chuckled. “That’s really not up to me, bud.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As always let me know what you think and what you’d like to see happen. =) Until next time, friends.


	8. Red Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: This chapter contains mentions of child abuse and rape.

Emma was doing her best to keep her pregnancy a secret from the town, until the last possible second. She didn’t feel that any of them needed to know quite yet. After all, what if something she happened? She couldn’t bare the looks she’d get from the well-meaning town. It was easier for the small group who knew to keep it under wraps until it was time. She knew she’d have to tell Ralph and Belle, she doubted Baelfire was going to. They had a right to know their grandchild. Even so, she wanted to wait. Every time she thought of him, she wanted to break down and she couldn’t handle it.

 

Weeks passed by and Emma had another appointment. Before she knew it, she was starting to get a tiny bump. It was covered by sweatshirts or whatever else she could use to cover it up, but it was there. She stood in front of her mirror one morning, standing to the side with her hand on her stomach, examining it. Mary watched from the doorway with a smile.

 

“He or she is definitely in there,” she said.

Emma nodded, rubbing her tank top covered bump. “My clothes barely fit anymore. I didn’t think I’d need new stuff so soon.”

“Well to be fair, you’ve always been a twig,” Mary teased, stepping forward. “I know you hate shopping, but why don’t we go and pick out some new stuff?”

Emma sighed. “Do I have to?”

“It’s that or walk around in those skinny jeans that you can barely button up in the morning.”

Emma’s mouth dropped open. “I…they so fit.”

“I saw you on the bed this morning, struggling to button them.”

 

She pulled her tongue at her mother, which just made Mary laugh.

 

“Alright, alright,” Emma relented, pulling David’s sweatshirt over her. Hers no longer fit anymore. “But no pink and nothing cutesy.”

“I’d expect nothing less. Come on, we have some time before I have to pick up Neal from that birthday party.”

 

Emma grabbed her purse and followed her mom down to the car. She wasn’t surprised when Mary started driving out of town. Ashley’s shop sold maternity clothes, but they tended to match her style which was pretty girly. Mary had already looked into some hip stores that sold blacks and reds, they weren’t a far ride.

  
“So, promise me you won’t shoot this down,” Mary said as she turned onto the highway.

Emma sighed. “I told you, I’m not doing a gender reveal. They’re so lame.”

Mary laughed. “I know. But, what about a baby shower?”

“Mom…”

“Come on, it’d be fun. We won’t do any corny games. There will just be lots of food and hanging out. It doesn’t even have to be that big.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “Once the town finds out, they’re all going to expect an invite.”

“Well, the more the merrier.”

“I don’t want them to feel bad for me…I…I don’t really need anything. I can buy all the stuff on my own.”

 

That had been a sore subject in their household. David and Mary had offered to buy furniture for the nursery, but Emma wasn’t exactly on board with that. She had only been out of college for under a year, but she didn’t want anyone to think she couldn’t hack it. Since she lived at home, she was able to save up some money. This was her baby, her responsibility, not her parents’. Yet, they were insisting on helping as much as possible. She was grateful, knowing not many would have the offers she did, but it was still weird for her.

 

“Em,” Mary pulled to a red light and gave her a soft look. “It’s common for pregnant women to have baby showers. No one is going to think less of you for having one. If you really don’t want one, that’s fine. I just think it’d be nice for you to celebrate this baby. It is a good thing, planned or otherwise.”

 

Emma chewed on her lip. She knew her mother was right. She was so young and had been expecting her parents to finally get angry with her for being so irresponsible. It wasn’t her fault that the condom had been faulty, but if she had just been on the pill…

 

Then she wouldn’t be having her baby and she wouldn’t trade him or her for the world. She already loved them so much.

 

“If it’s a girl, no pink,” Emma decided.

Mary snorted. “Deal. You can pick the color.”

She sighed, rubbing her small bump. “I had a dream the other night, it was a boy.”

“Oh?”

“But I read online that sometimes dreams mean the opposite.”

“Don’t listen to that stuff. I remember when I was trying to get pregnant, they said that if you didn’t take folic acid, the baby would have three heads.”

Emma snorted. “And you believed it?”

“We were young when we started trying!” Mary defended herself. “I was freaked out of my mind. Your dad ended up promising me that if our baby did have three heads, he’d just cut holes in all their shirts.”

“Good ol’ Dad.” Emma was once again silent for a minute. “Do you wish…I mean, I know you wouldn’t trade me and Neal for anything…but do you ever wish you had gotten pregnant after adopting him?”

Mary didn’t even have to think about it. “No. I mean, your father and I talked about it, even after we had just gotten you. What we would do if I was hit by a miracle and got pregnant. We’d of course love the baby, it wouldn’t change how much we loved you. Yet, I didn’t need that, I still don’t. I have you and your brother, I love you both so much.”

“And you never thought about having more children?”

She shrugged. “We talked about it, adopting again. We were just happy with you two. Now, we’re going to be grandparents…before we turn 40.”

Emma couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be, I’m excited.” She rubbed Emma’s arm. “This baby is going to be so loved, don’t doubt that.”

 

Emma didn’t. She knew she was going to love the hell out of her baby, there was no way she was going to let him or her feel how she did, ever.

 

Soon, they were at the shop Mary had found on the internet. Emma was surprised at how many of the clothes she actually liked. For the first time in all her 22 years, she was actually picking stuff out willingly. In the back of the shop, she came across a red leather jacket. It was a little big, but it’d work for when she got further along in her pregnancy. Trying it on, she remembered back to 9 years prior…

_  
Mary guided Emma over to the racks of teen clothes and she started to sort through them. She wasn’t used to shopping. Normally, she just got older foster sibling’s hand me downs.  The only thing she spotted was a red faux leather jacket. She picked it up and looked at the size. It was too big for her, but that just meant there’d be room to grow. Her foster mother saw her eyeing._

_“That’s so cute and it’s perfect for spring and fall. It looks like it’ll be a little big.”_

 

Emma felt a small smile go across her face. She still had that jacket, it just didn’t fit like it used to now that she was pregnant. In fact, she had to buy another one before she even found out she was, because of how old it was. She still loved it, it meant the world to her. That shopping trip had been the first she had gone on that she was allowed to pick stuff out. Mary had spent so much money on her, not even flinching at the totals. Normally, she was forced to get hand-me downs or had to stand back while a foster parent picked out the cheapest thing, so the money could go to something “more important” (like their other children).

 

Mary walked over and grinned. “Should’ve known you were going to pick out something like that.”

“These have always been my favorite, pregnant or not.” Emma slid it off and threw it into the cart. She then noticed the large collection in Mary’s. “Mom…”

“I knew you were going to go easy here. All of this is on me.”

“No, wait…”

“I won’t take no for an answer. You need new clothes, Em, and I’m your mother.”

“I’m 22.”

“Does that make me any less your mom?”

 

Emma sighed, knowing there was no getting out of it. She pushed her own cart to the check out, paying for her small amount. Mary did the same with her overflowing cart. She had gotten things for when Emma would be further along. She knew Emma would be happy rewearing the same things over and over again, so she had to step in.

 

When they were done, they headed to a little café nearby. Mary was very surprised when Emma ordered a salad.

 

“In all my years of knowing you, you’ve never done that,” Mary said.

Emma sighed. “The baby has been craving vegetables. It sucks.”

She laughed. “Who knows, maybe they’ll be a health nut like their grandma.”

“They better like grilled cheese.”

Snow smiled. “And hot cocoa, that’s a deal breaker for this family.”

“Of course.”

* * *

Neal was having a lot of fun at this birthday party, it was really taking his mind off of everything. Mason was a new boy in his class and he had invited everyone to try to make some new friends. There were clowns, face painting, a bounce house, even cotton candy! He was running around with Gideon and Mason, having a ton of fun.

 

The one drawback of Neal not knowing Mason very well, meant that his parents didn’t know his own that well. Mrs. McNulty had only met Mary when she dropped him off that afternoon and had yet to get to know David yet. Neal didn’t realize this, however. So, when Mrs. McNulty yelled into the backyard, “Neal, your father is here!” he thought nothing of it.

  
“Aw man, do you really have to go?” Gideon asked.

“Yeah.” He made a face. “But I’ll see you guys on Monday.”

 

Heading through to the front of the house, he spotted Mrs. McNulty, but didn’t know who the man she was standing with was. He was older than his own father, with graying blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He took a step back, but before he could tell his new friend’s mother that this was definitely not his father, the man wrapped an arm around him.

 

“Thank you for having him, we’ll see you soon.”

 

When they got outside, Neal tried to fight against him, but it was no use. The man kept a tight grip on him as he lead him to his car, shoving him into the backseat. Looking for a way out, Neal realized the door handles and buttons to pull down the window had been torn off. His heart began racing as the man got up front.

 

“You’re not my dad!” He shouted.

The man simply laughed. It wasn’t like any he had ever heard before, from a real person anyway. It was almost like a cartoon villain, along the likes of Jafar or Hades. “Oh Neal, yes I am.”

Neal recoiled in his seat. “How do you know my name?”

“Like I said, I’m your daddy. How else would I know?”

“My daddy is the sheriff! You’re not him!”

“Neal, Neal, Neal,” the man shook his head. “I don’t know if you were told, but you were adopted.”

Neal paused. How did this man know that? “Yeah, so?”

“So, in order for you to be adopted, it means you’d have to have another dad first.” He flashed him a smile. “We’ve never been properly introduced. My name’s Ed, Ed Swan. I’m your daddy.”

 

Neal’s eyes widened. Ed. The man that had hurt Emma, he’d touched her in places he wasn’t supposed to. Neal tried to get out of the car, but it was too late, there was nowhere for him to go. Ed sickly smiled back at him, before zooming off. He was going so fast, that Neal almost fell over a few times. He quickly put on his seatbelt, not knowing what else to do. Where was Ed taking him?

* * *

Emma and Mary pulled up in front of the McNulty’s, walking up to the door. Beth, the mother, opened the door with a confused smile on her face.

  
“Mary,” she said. “What are you doing here?”

Mary cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean? I’m here to pick up my son.”

“Your husband already did.”

 

Mary knew that couldn’t be right. David was working a double shift at the station. He rarely did them, but they came up every now and again as sheriff. Maybe he had convinced Graham to take over for him? Pulling out her cell phone, she quickly called her husband.

  
“Hey, honey,” he said when he answered.

“David, are you still at the station?”

“Yeah.”

“You didn’t pick up Neal from that birthday party?”

“Was I supposed to?”

 

Mary’s heart sank in her chest and she could feel Emma staring at her with wide eyes. If David hadn’t picked up Neal, who had? Why would they be pretending to be him in the first place? She gulped and gripped Emma’s hand.

 

“No, but I just showed up to get him and Beth said that his father already did,” she said.

David’s voice grew serious. “What?”

“I’m going to be at the station in 5 minutes.”

 

As Mary hung up, Emma was scrolling through her pictures and finally came across one. She practically shoved her phone in Beth’s face.

  
“Was this the man that picked him up?” She asked.

Beth took in the picture of David. “No, definitely not. The man was older.”

 

Emma shut her eyes, willing herself to not jump to conclusions. Soon, she was looking through articles in Safari. She could barely hear her mom saying they had to go, her heart was pounding loudly in her chest. Finally, she came across the article that came out around the time Ed had gone back to prison. It included his mugshot.

  
“Was this him?” She asked.

Beth slowly nodded. “Like I said, he looked a little older…but that was definitely him. I’d know those eyes anywhere.”

 

Emma felt as if she was going to puke. How was it possible?!? Ed had been sent back to prison for raping a woman, they said he was going to be in prison for the rest of his life. She grabbed hold of her mom’s arm and dragged her back to the car. Both were silent as they jumped inside, Mary zooming to the station. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Ed had her baby boy, he could do anything to him!

 

The drive to the station would’ve normally taken longer, but Mary sped as fast as she could. The car was barely parked, when Emma jumped out and raced into the station. David placed his hands on her shoulders.

  
“Ed…he…he…”

David shook his head. “Emma, honey, Ed’s in prison…”

“NO!” Tears spilled down her face. “Beth said it was him. He has him! Daddy, he has Neal!”

 

David’s jaw clenched and he swallowed, hard. Mary raced into the station and he pulled his girls into his arms. Just then, Graham walked over to them. David had filled him in on his son being missing before they showed up.

  
“I’ll call for an AMBER alert,” he said. “I’ll have Leroy head out to get a statement from Mrs. McNulty. We’re going to find him, don’t worry.”

 

Emma pulled away from her parents and ran her fingers through her hair. She thought back to when she was 5-years-old and had been in the system for a few months. Ed was out on bail, awaiting trial. She had been at her new school, playing on the playground when she caught the familiar sight of his car. Running over to her teacher, she filled her in on everything. She was brought inside and hidden in the office. Police found Ed a block away and figured out what he was trying to do. He wanted to kidnap Emma, hurt her once again.

 

She slid down into her desk chair and brought her head in between her legs, trying to breathe, but she barely could. This wasn’t happening, it couldn’t. Ed had hurt her enough, he was never supposed to be able to touch her brother, he was going to die behind bars!

 

“How the hell did this happen?” David demanded. “He’s supposed to be locked up!”

Graham settled down into his own desk, looking over some files on the computer. “It seems he got pardoned for good behavior…again.”

“What the actual hell? The last time he did that, he raped someone!”

“We’re going to find him, Dave, don’t worry.”

 

Emma looked up and saw her mother on the verge of tears. She walked over and wrapped a tight arm around her.

 

“Graham’s right, but we won’t do it by just sitting here,” she announced. “We need to split up. Leroy’s talking to Beth, we need to look over Storybrooke. There’s no way he could’ve gotten far.”

Mary tightened her grip on Emma. She knew she was a rookie on the force, but she didn’t want her other baby anywhere out of her sight. “Emma…”

“Mama, I know. I love you, but I need to do this.”

“I need to know where you are.”

Emma thought for a minute. “The tracking app, I never took it off my phone. You two don’t use it anymore, you can now. I’m going to be okay.”

 

Mary and David exchanged a look. The latter wanted Emma to stay behind too. Not only was she pregnant, but she was their daughter. He was worried enough about Neal, Ed had to be looking for Emma too. At the same time, she was a grown adult, she was going to do what she wanted.

 

“Be careful,” David told her. “Answer your phone when I call. If you don’t, I don’t care where you are, I’m coming.”

“I know you will.” Emma gave him a quick hug before turning to Mary, who had tears running down her face. “Mom…”

“Just…please be careful.”

Emma threw her arms around her. “I will, I promise. I’m gonna get Neal back.”

 

Mary let out a shaky breath and squeezed Emma tightly before letting go. Graham tossed Emma the keys to one of the squad cars and she took off. David hugged Mary tightly, kissing the top of her head.

  
“I’m going to bring our boy home,” he promised. “And our girl.”

Mary let out a shaky breath. “You be careful too, I can’t lose any of you.”

“You won’t. I promise you, by tonight we’ll be a family again.”

 

Mary watched him head out the door. From the window, she could see her husband and daughter hug once again before getting into their separate cars and take off. She sunk down into a chair, feeling very faint. Graham handed her a cup of water, rubbing her back.

 

“They’re going to be okay, Mary Margaret,” he assured her.

 

She wanted to believe him, but for once…her hope was dwindling.

* * *

Emma sped down Main Street, trying to think of where Ed could be taking Neal. There was no way he’d be stupid enough to go back to Boston. As she came to a red light, her phone began buzzing with a FaceTime request. She didn’t recognize the number, but answered it anyway. She nearly jumped at the image on the other side.

 

“Well, well, well,” Ed said with a smirk. “Hello.”

“Where are you, Ed?”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m getting my second chance to raise a family.”

“Like hell you are! Where’s Neal!”

“He’s fine, just resting.” Ed directed the phone to Neal, who was sleeping on a bed.

“What’d you do to him?!?”

“Would you relax? I have no plans for him…for now. If you want to see your baby brother again, you better follow my instructions carefully. You showed up a few years ago, saying you were all big and bad. Prove it. Come take his spot.” He paused. “And another thing, no cops. If I see your precious daddy pull up, this whole thing is over and well…you can go back to being an only child. I’ll text you the address.”

 

The phone dinged and Ed’s face disappeared. A moment later, she got a text containing the address. She knew she should text her parents, but she couldn’t risk it. Plus, she knew her father would be calling her. When she didn’t answer, he’d come for her.

 

She just had to hope things would go according to plan.

 

Emma placed a hand on her baby bump. “Come on, it’s time for your first real adventure.” She hit the gas and headed off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we’ll leave it there…as always tell me what you think and what you want to see. Until next time friends…


	9. The Final Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Mentions of previous sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

_It was cold for a Spring day, Emma could remember that much. She pulled the thin blanket up over her and curled up further under it. Her eyes clamped together tightly and she tried to fall back asleep. The sun wasn’t up yet, she didn’t have school for a few more hours. Yet, she could hear his footsteps descending down the hall._

_He was up._

_The door creaked open and she could hear her name being whispered._

_Emma. Emma. Emma._

_She didn’t move, she thought that if she was still enough, he’d go away. Yet, his footsteps got closer and closer._

_“I know you’re awake.” His breath was hot and hit her neck. “Open your eyes.” She kept them closed, twisting her knees together. “Emma, don’t make me wake you up.”_

_Slowly her eyes opened and she found him there. That sick smile fell across his face and he sat on the mattress, running her fingers through her curls. Emma bit down on her lip, shaking her head._

_“I’m tired,” she whispered. “Want to go back to sleepies.”_

_“I have something that could wake you up.”_

_Ed’s hand slipped down under her pajama pants and she could feel him starting to touch her._

_“Stop!” She cried out. “Stop it!”_

_“Shut up!” Ed’s other hand collided with her face, silencing her as he always did._

Emma shook the memory from her head, blinking a few times. She was speeding as fast as she could down the streets of Storybrooke. Ed had chosen a random cabin near the edge of town, it was clear that he wanted to make sure that no one would find them. As she came to a red light, she cursed herself and looked over at the glove compartment. She thought about what was inside and let out a shaky breath.

 

_“Are you sure you want to do this?” David asked._

_“I’m majoring in criminal justice, I have to do this sooner or later.”_  
  


_It was Emma’s first Christmas break after starting college. She and David stood in the basement of the sheriff station. There was a target up against the wall and she was wearing goggles. The pistol her father had handed her felt heavy in her hands. She didn’t have much experience with guns, she hadn’t even ever seen his before. He made sure to keep it locked up and away from her and Neal. The last time she had seen one had been back with Ed. He and his friends always had guns out._

_“Alright,” David helped her find the right position. “It’s always important to keep the safety on until you need to use it.” He showed her how to make sure it stayed that way. “Keep your arms steady and focus on your target.”_

_Emma nodded, focusing on the center. “Okay.”_

_“Now, take the safety off.” He watched as she did as told and took a step back. “Stay focused on your target…and shoot.”_

_Emma pulled back the trigger and felt her heart skip a beat at the sound it made. She watched as the bullet careened into the target, not even hitting where she had been aiming. It didn’t matter. Her eyes filled with tears and she quickly put the safety back on. David placed a hand on her back._

_“I feel stupid,” she whispered._

_“Don’t. The first time I shot a gun, I was terrified. It shouldn’t be something exciting. A gun she only be used if you honestly have to use it._

_Emma slowly nodded, letting out a shaky breath. “Does it get easier?”_

_“The skill, yes. The need to use it, no.” He kissed the top of her head. “I hope you never have to use this in your career, Emma.”_

_“I hope so too, Dad.”_

Emma’s eyes steadied back on the road and she turned on her blinker. She needed to focus, it wasn’t the time to be going down memory lane. She had to save her baby brother.

 

The sign that read “Thank you for visiting Storybrooke” was clear in sight. Siri was repeating “The destination is on your left” before letting out a cryptic “Arrived” and shutting off. Emma turned the keys and stared at the cabin for a minute. Finally, she pulled open her glove department. Clipping her badge to her belt, she grabbed her gun and stuck it into her bag. She couldn’t go in there guns a blazing, that was a sure fire way to make sure that Ed would let things take a turn.

 

Getting out of the bug, she surveyed the cabin, trying to find the best way of entry. She didn’t know where he had Neal, but it was probably somewhere in the back rooms. Slowly walking around the cabin, she kept a hand on her bag and found a screen door. It had a ripped hole, which meant easy entry.

 

Kicking off her shoes to make sure she wouldn’t make any noise, she quietly reached through, opening the door. Her heart was racing a mile a minute as she looked around. It was small and she could see the back of Ed’s head in the living room. Gulping, she spotted a door and quietly opened it. Just a closet. Doing the same with a few more, she finally located the bedroom. She saw Neal curled up on the bed, still sleeping. Rushing over to him, she dropped to her knees and shook him.

 

“Neal,” she whispered. His eyes flickered open and she put a hand on his mouth before he could speak. “We need to be really quiet, okay? I don’t want him to hear us.” Neal nodded and she removed her hand.

“Emmy,” his voice was so quiet, she almost couldn’t hear him. “Where’s Mommy and Daddy?”

“They’re looking for you, I just found you first. Listen, I’m gonna get you out of here.”

“Is this the guy that hurt you?”

Emma bit her lip, nodding. “Yeah.”

“I thought he was in jail.”

“I did too. Are you hurt?” Despite him shaking his head, she examined him. “Okay, good. Listen, I need you to run. Just get out of here, run as far as you can and here.” She gave him her phone. “Call Mommy and Daddy, tell them to come get you.”

“But Emma…he’s gonna hurt you…and the baby…”

“We’ll be fine, kiddo.” She could see his eyes widened. “Neal, I told you…”

“Well isn’t this a lovely family reunion.”

 

Emma froze in place, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. Keeping one hand on the gun in her bag and the other on Neal, she slowly turned around. Ed had shaven since she last saw him and his hair was less disheveled. That same sick grin was plastered on his face and she felt like she was going to throw up.

 

“Ed,” she tried to remain calm. “Just let Neal go. We had a deal.”

“One you were trying to go against.” He walked closer to her. “You always were a bad girl, Emma.”

 

Taking hold of her neck, he pressed her against the wall, causing her purse to fall to the ground. Neal screamed, tears coming to his eyes.

 

“Neal, run!” Emma shouted. She could see the hesitation in his eyes. “Neal, please, I’ll be fine! Just run!”

 

Neal sat there for another minute before running out of the room. The sound of the screen door slamming shut could be heard. Ed laughed, shaking his head.

 

“He’s smarter than you ever were.”

Emma glared at him. “You got what you wanted, I’m here. Just tell me what you want.”

“I told you. I want you…and as it seems, your new little bundle of joy.”

 

Emma’s hand protectively went over her stomach.

 

“You’re not going to hurt my child.”

“Oh, but you said I’d never hurt Neal and look what happened there?”

Emma’s eyes narrowed. “Why? Why are you doing this? You got what you wanted all those years ago, why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“Parents never give up on their children.”

“You aren’t my parent!”

“Oh, right. You have a new daddy now, don’t you?”

 

Ed reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He started showing Emma picture after picture of her. She felt a chill go down her spine, just how long had he been following her?  In most of them, she was with David. Some were when they were on patrol, others just hanging out. He stopped on a picture of David having an arm around her, kissing her head.

 

“Such a sweet man,” Ed smirked. “Would be a shame if anything happened to him.”

“You lay a hand on him and it will be the last thing you ever do,” Emma  growled. “Same goes for my mother.”

“Aw, I am so scared, Daddy’s Girl.” His hand drifted to her waist and he pulled her closer. She wiggled to get out of his grip. “Oh come on, you like it when your other daddy does it.”

Something in Emma’s head snapped. “You aren’t my father!” Her knee jerked up and hit Ed’s balls. He moaned and fell to the floor in a heap.

 

Grabbing her bag, Emma began to race out of the house.

* * *

Neal ran as fast as he could, out of the house and down the street. Panting as he reached the end of it, he dug Emma’s phone out of his pocket and noticed it was ringing. His father’s face was on the screen. Neal quickly answered it.

  
“Daddy,” he said.

“Neal!” David breathed. “Oh my God, are you okay? Where are you?”

“I…I don’t know. Emma found me, but she told me to run.”

“What?”

“She’s still in the house with Ed.”

“Oh my God. Okay, Neal, are you far away from the house?”

“Uh huh.”

“I need you to stay right there. Mommy and I are coming.”

“But Emmy…”

“Emmy will be fine. We’re going to come save her. Do not go back in that house, do you understand me?”

“Yes.”

“Good boy, we’ll be right there. I love you.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

 

David hung up the phone and instantly traced Emma’s phone. He then dialed Mary’s number and she answered almost instantly.

 

“Did you find him?” She asked.

“Sort of, Neal called me. He got out of the house.”

“That’s great…but how did he call you?”

“Emma gave him the phone, she’s still in there.”

“What?!?”’

“I told her not to go in alone.”

“She must have a good reason.”

“I’m texting you the address, give it to Graham, I know I’ll need back up. I’d come and get you, but I don’t have time…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Just get to our babies.”

“I will. Mary, it’s going to be okay, she’s going to be okay.”

 

Both knew he wasn’t just trying to reassure her, but himself too.

 

“I know. Let me go so I can give this to Graham.”

 

David hung up and jumped back into his car, speeding as fast as he could to the address. He was going so fast, he didn’t even care about the red lights and probably nearly caused a bunch of accidents, but his mind was on one thing: his children. They had all been through too much for this to be how the story ended.

 

As he turned the street corner, he was lucky enough to spot his son’s beanie to know to stop. He halted and jumped out of the car, running to Neal and swooping him up into his arms. He held onto him for dear life while Neal clung to him, burying his head in his shoulder. David could feel the tears streaming down his face.

 

“Oh bud,” he whispered. “Are you okay?”

Neal nodded. “Daddy,” was all he could choke out.

David let out a deep breath, putting a hand on his pink cheek. “Did he hurt you?”

“Nuh uh. He just gave me a funny juice and it made me sleepy. Then Emma came.”

“She’s still in the house?”

“Uh huh. I can her yelling.” He pointed down the street to the seemingly abandoned cabin right on the town line. “It’s right there.”

 

Just then, Graham’s car pulled up and Mary jumped out of it, rushing to her husband and son. Taking Neal into her arms, she showered his face with kisses and checked him over, just as David had done. Neal rested his head on her shoulder and David turned to Graham.

 

“Emma’s still in there with him.”

Graham nodded. “Alright. David, you need to remember to stay professional in here. I know she’s your little girl…”

“I know how to do this.”

“David, just be careful,” Mary urged him.

“I will, I’m going to get our daughter.”

 

Heading towards the house, David held his breath. He had seen a lot in his days as a sheriff but nothing had prepared him to come face to face with one of Emma’s abusers, much less her biological father. He could’ve gone his whole life without seeing Ed face to face. He would do anything to protect his family, however, and nothing would stop him from saving his daughter.

* * *

Emma ran as fast as she could out of the room and towards the door. Ed was quick on his feet, however, and managed to run after her, tripping her and causing her to fall to the ground. Emma winced and grabbed hold of her stomach for a moment before trying to get back up, but he had a hand on her leg. Her mind flashed back to when she was little and would attempt to escape the beatings or other abuse, she never could. He always managed to keep her in his grip.

 

She spotted her bag, which had flown across the floor, she had to get to it. Focusing on it with all her might, she struggled against him and began crawling across the floor, shaking her leg to get rid of him.

 

“Emma, didn’t you learn, you can’t win against me,” he said.

“I won against you the day the police showed up and took you away!”

“How’d that work out for you, huh? You were so high and mighty a few years ago, sitting on the other side of the glass, bragging about how you were free of me and that you were something. Look at you now, still struggling against me, on your stomach, nothing much has changed.”

 

Emma clamped her eyes shut, trying to get his voice out of her head. He was wrong, he had always been wrong. She wasn’t going to be his victim, not anymore.

 

“I’m not a little girl anymore,” she said. “You can’t push me around, not again.”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

 

He reached down and grabbed hold of her belt loop, clearly trying to get it off with one hand. When that didn’t work, he moved his foot to hers to try to keep her down while used both hands to get it off. Emma had wiggled far enough so she had access to her bag, she kicked her leg and managed to get him on his back. Reaching into her purse, she got access to her gun and pulled it out, which managed to keep him on his knees.

 

“You were saying?”

“You’re not going to shoot.”

“You’re right, I won’t. That doesn’t mean I haven’t dreamt of this moment my entire life.” Tears built up in Emma’s eyes. “Every time you touched me, every time you hit me, every single time I couldn’t trust the people that loved me because you broke me, I thought of this. I thought of the moment where I could have all the power and you would have _nothing_.”

 

Stepping closer to him, she could see something in Ed’s eyes that she had never seen. Fear. They both knew Emma wouldn’t pull the trigger, it wouldn’t be right. It would go against everything she was, everything she stood for. He deserved to have his life ended, he didn’t deserve to breathe for another second, but she wasn’t going to kill him. That would be too easy. For once, she had all the power and he was scared. Scared of what she was capable of and what she could do. He was right, words were cheap and she had spewed a lot of them back at the prison. She had meant every word of it, but it was time to put the money where her mouth was.

 

She wasn’t nothing, she had never been nothing. It was time to prove it.

 

“You filthy, thieving, heartless piece of trash,” she whispered harshly. “You took my life and you turned it into a nightmare. You didn’t teach me how to love, you taught me how to hate. I would say that I hate you, but hate isn’t a good enough word. To say I hate you, would mean that I have some sort of care for you. I don’t care about you Ed, no one does and no one ever will. You took away my childhood, my innocence and that is something I can never get back! I am about to be a mother and as God as my witness, no one will ever harm him or her how you’ve hurt me.”

“What do you want me to say?” Ed asked, staring up at her with his piercing blue eyes. “That I’m sorry?”

“No, because you’re never going to mean it. But this fear, the one I see right now, it’ll be enough for me. How does it feel Ed? To fear the person that is supposed to love you? Because that is just a sampling of how I felt every single day for 5 years.”

 

The door burst open and she lowered her gun. David tackled Ed to the ground, grabbing hold of his arms and thrusting them behind his back, throwing the cuffs on. Ed’s face stayed planted against the ground.

 

“You think you’re so tough, sheriff?” He mocked.

 

David’s hands were shaking and he wanted more than anything to move them to Ed’s neck and just snap it. He wanted to bash his head against everything he could, he didn’t want to kill him. Death was too good for him, he just wanted to do everything he had done to his daughter, but double.

 

 Instead, he used something he knew the man in front of him didn’t have, restraint. “Graham, take him out of here.”

 

Graham lifted Ed up, starting to read him his rights as he dragged him out of the house and to the squad car. David ran to Emma and she leaped into his arms, throwing her own around his neck. He cradled the back of her head and held her as close as he possibly could. Tears were running down both their faces, their hearts beating fast.

 

“Neal, is he okay?”

“He’s fine, he’s fine. Are you?”

“Yeah.” She let out a deep breath. “I’m fine, now.”

“My God, I told you not to come in here alone.”

“He said if I came with you, he’d hurt Neal, I did what I had to.”

“Emma Ruth Nolan, you are determined to give me a heart attack, aren’t you?”

“That’s our thing, isn’t it?”

 

He pulled away from her, chuckling in spite of his tears. Cupping her cheek, he peered down at her and could see a new look in her eyes. It was different from after the faux-school shooting. She didn’t look afraid or defeated. She looked rejuvenated, as if the whole ordeal had somehow made her stronger. Planting a firm kiss to her forehead, he smiled.

  
“God, I love you, Princess.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

“Let’s go see your mom and brother.”

 

Neal was the first one to spot his big sister being lead out of the house. Jumping out of his mother’s arms, he ran to her, throwing his arms around her legs. She hugged him tightly, kissing the top of his head.

 

“Oh, I love you, kid.” Allowing him to keep his grip, she turned to her mother, who looked on the verge of tears. “Mama.”

“Sweets.” She pulled her into a tight hug, Neal sandwiched in the middle of them. David walked over, joining the family’s embrace.

 

In the distance, the sounds of an ambulance could be heard. They knew Neal and Emma would have to go to the hospital and be checked out, the latter especially because of the baby. In that moment, however, none of them were letting go.

 

You could knock down a member of the Nolan family, but they’d always get back up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is a lot lighter with Emma and Neal in the hospital and Snowing fussing over him. Good news, Ed is finally taken down and he won’t be able to hurt anyone else! As always, please let me know what you want to see and what you thought. Until next time my friends. =)


	10. Growing Family

Upon arriving at the hospital, Emma and Neal were instantly split up. David and Mary didn’t have much time to decide, but they knew they couldn’t leave either child alone. David went with Emma, while Mary headed off with Neal. David stayed practically glued to his daughter’s side, refusing to move, even as the doctor had to gently nudge him out of the way. Emma felt exhausted from the whole ordeal and just kept lazily smiling over at him. Eventually, the doctor left to go submit the tests and David settled down next to her on the bed.

 

“How’s the ankle?” He asked.

“It’s fine.” Emma paused. “I haven’t had any issues with it in years. How did you even remember?”

David shrugged. “How could I forget that about you?”

She lightly smiled. “Sorry if I scared you too badly today.”

“Em…you have no idea. When Neal called me and told me that you were still in that house…I thought I was going to lose you.” He gulped as he kept his eyes on her. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Nothing happened, Dad. I was able to get the best of him.”

“What if you hadn’t? What if he had shot you or done something worse?”

“Dad…”

“You’re not invincible, you know. You’re…you’re not Superwoman.”

Emma smirked. “Who knows, it’s yet to be confirmed.”

“It’s not funny.”

 

Emma saw the real fear in his eyes and knew it was time to drop the act. Slowly sitting up in the bed, she took hold of his hand.

 

“Daddy, I’m fine. I know it wasn’t the smartest move and it goes against everything I ever learned, but…it was Neal. He’s my baby brother. You have to understand, as much as you’ve always sworn to never let anything happen to me, I’ve felt the same way with him. He was with Ed, the man who made my life a living hell for 5 years. I couldn’t let him do the same to him.”

David sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He knew she was right, he just couldn’t get the horrific images out of his head. “Please just promise, never again.”

“Ed’s being locked up as we speak, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”

“Hopefully the parole board will learn their lesson this time.”

“If they don’t, they’re serious idiots.” She squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being the dad that I never thought I could have.” She chewed on her lip. “Being face to face with him, it reminded me of what I had for so long. I thought that’s how men treated their daughters. It wasn’t until you that I knew that was wrong. You taught me that a father can be kind.”

David finally allowed himself to smile. “I was just doing what I knew was right. I love you so much, Princess.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

 

He bent down, kissing her forehead. Emma didn’t have a favorite parent, there was no way for her to. Yet, her relationship with each parent was unique. Mary was her best friend, someone she felt that she could confide in. David was her protector, her knight in shining armor. She’d go far as to call him her prince charming. He had saved her countless times without truly realizing it. She was so thankful to have him in her life and wasn’t sure if she could ever express it.

 

There was a sudden knock on the door. Emma jolted up and David put a protective arm around her. It opened and Robert walked in, causing both to relax a little.

  
“I heard about what happened,” he said. “Someone named Lily called me, she said they were only letting family in to see you right now.”

David didn’t know how Emma was going to react. She hadn’t spoken to Robert much since that family dinner. Yet, to his surprise, she smiled. “Thanks for coming.”

“That man…is he gone?”

“My dad’s deputy is making sure he’s taken out of town as we speak.”

“Good. I just…well, I don’t know what I thought. I’m just really glad you’re okay. You are okay, aren’t you? And the baby?”

“They’re running tests, but I’m sure things will be okay.”

 

Robert slowly nodded and stepped closer to the bed. As he lingered, Emma leaned over and gave him a hug. His eyebrows raised, but he wrapped his arms around her. David smiled at the two of them, placing a hand over his father’s. They were still working out all their issues, but he knew that his children would forever have a grandfather in their lives.

* * *

Mary sat perched on Neal’s bed, taking him in. In some ways, he looked just like Emma, yet in others, he was all his own. She couldn’t believe how fast time had gone, for both of her babies. They were growing up so quickly and it just didn’t seem fair. If she shut her eyes, she could see the same baby that had been dropped off at her house 7 years prior. He still fit so snuggly into her arms and still wanted to cuddle. Yet, some days he acted as if he were so grown up. She wasn’t ready for his teenage years, not by a long shot.

 

“I wanna see Emmy,” he mumbled.

Mary nodded, stroking his cheek. “I know, baby. We’ll be able to soon. The doctor just wants to make sure that the juice Ed gave you isn’t going to make you sick.”

“I’m fine.”

She chuckled, he sounded so much like Emma. “I know you are.”

“Ed was scary.”

“I’m sure he was.”

“I’m sorry I went with him, Mommy. He just showed up and took me, I was too scared to say anything.”

“You’re not in trouble Nee,” Mary continued to caress his face. “He’s the bad man, he tried to take you and Emma from us.” She paused for a moment. “Did he…did he touch you in any bad places?”

Neal shook his head and she let out a very long breath. “He said he was my daddy, I told him that wasn’t true.”

“It’s not, he’s not your father, Neal. He never was.”

“I don’t want to see him ever again.”

“And you won’t have to.” Mary gave him a soft smile. “I promise.”

 

She had made him that promise before and had ultimately failed. With all her might, she wanted to make sure that it never happened again. She’d fight as hard as she could to keep Ed in prison, double as she had before. He hadn’t won that day and he wouldn’t again.

 

The doctor walked back in, his clipboard firm in his hands. “Well, it’s safe to say that whatever he gave Neal, wasn’t that strong. When he arrived, he was puking a little and I think that got it out of his system. He is a very lucky little boy.”

“Can I see my sister now?” Neal asked.

He smiled. “I don’t see why not. She’s still waiting for her test results, but she’s in room 3A. We just need you to fill out some discharge papers, Mrs. Nolan.” He noticed as Mary looked from her son and back to him. “Neal can come with you while you do it.”

 

Mary took hold of her son’s hand and helped him out of bed, holding him close to her side as she lead him to the desk to get him all set. He leaned into her, wrapping a tight arm around her waist. He was so quiet that she was almost surprised when he spoke again.

 

“Regina!”

Mary looked up in shock, watching her daughter’s former roommate walk over to them, bags in hand. “Regina.” She smiled. “What are you doing here?”

“Lily called. We’ve all sort of been cooped up in my apartment, waiting for news but David texted us that you all were doing okay. Lily tried to get in earlier, but they said it was family only. I figured you weren’t going to want to leave your kids, so I used the spare key under your mat to get you some stuff. I don’t know how long you’re going to be staying here.”

 

She reached into one of the bags and pulled out Neal’s baby blanket, the very one Emma had made him for his first birthday. He pulled it into his arms, hugging it tightly. Regina also held up Emma’s and showed the few changes of clothes she had brought. Ruby had sent over some food, all of their favorites.

 

“Thank you, Regina, really.” Mary took the bags and gave her a quick hug. “I’m sure Emma will appreciate it.”

“Have her text us. We know she’s going through a lot and we’re…we’re here for her. Same as we always have been.”

 

Mary’s smile only grew. When Emma came to live with them, she and David had become her family, but they hadn’t been the only ones. Emma had built a bigger family than they could’ve given her. Over the years, Lily, Ruby and Regina had become like sisters to her. They had gotten her through the hard times, just as much as they had. Even Baelfire, despite him no longer being around, had once been a part of the self-made family. They had become like surrogate children to Mary and David, Regina especially. They weren’t just Emma’s family, but theirs as well. She couldn’t have ever imagined that her life would turn out in such a way, but she was sure glad it had.

 

“Of course.” Mary gave her another hug. “We’re going to go see her now, we’ll make sure to tell her.”

“Thanks for my blankie,” Neal added, hugging Regina’s legs before following his mother to Emma’s room.

 

The moment he entered, he made a beeline to his sister’s bed and hopped inside of it, latching his arms around her tiny baby bump. Emma smiled and wrapped her arms around him, kissing the top of his head. Mary wrapped an arm around her husband, filling him in on what the doctor had said about their son. She noticed Robert sitting on the other side of Emma’s bed and grinned. He really was living up to his promise to always be there for them.

 

Mary next looked over at her daughter, who looked absolutely exhausted. “Emma, have you had any water since you got here?” She got up and started buzzing around the room, trying to locate the water pitcher. “What kind of tests did they run? Have they done an ultrasound yet?”

Emma had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. It took her mother less than a minute to go into mama bear mode. “Mom, I’m fine.”

“You need water.” She poured some out into a plastic cup, handing it over to her. “Drink.”

That time, Emma actually rolled her eyes, slowly sipping it. “Thanks.”

“And the tests?”

“They just want to make sure that nothing happened to the baby. They ran an ultrasound, but wouldn’t let me see. All I know is that there’s still a heartbeat.”

Mary nodded. “That’s good. And you?”

“I’m fine, just a little tired.”

“Maybe you should get some sleep, we don’t know how long we’ll be here…”

“Mom. Relax. I’m fine, Neal’s fine. You’re going to work yourself up into a heart attack.”

“I’m a mom, my babies are both in the hospital after…that man, came back into our lives.”

“And he’s going far, far away.” Emma stroked her brother’s hair, kissing his temple. “Come on Nee, be on my side. Tell Mommy to relax.”

“Relax, Mommy,” Neal mumbled, his head not moving from his sister’s stomach. “Why are things poking me?”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know, I’ve been feeling these weird things for a few minutes.”

 

Panicking, Mary rushed over to her daughter’s side and placed her hand near Neal’s head. She slowly relaxed and a smile spread across her face.

 

“Em, that’s the baby,” she whispered. “He or she’s kicking.”

 

Robert and David instantly moved closer so they could get a feel. Tears gathered up in Emma’s eyes. She had been trying so hard to stay strong and not panic, but the kicking along with the heartbeat had to be a good sign. Her baby was going to be okay, she knew it. Ed had robbed her of many things, but motherhood wasn’t about to be one of them. She could see the tears in her mother’s eyes as well and a wave of guilt washed over her.

 

Mary would never know what it was like to be pregnant, she’d never feel the kicks that she did. Sure, she missed the morning sickness and aversion to certain foods, but Emma knew that pregnancy was a pretty spectacular thing. As much as blood didn’t matter, Emma wished more than anything that she came from her mother. She wished that Mary had been able to feel her kick inside of her stomach. She deserved it more than Helga ever did. As much as Emma deserved to have a good childhood, Mary and David deserved to raise her from the beginning.

 

Life had other plans for them, however. They were destined to not know about one another until she was 13. While she was still a kid, practically a baby in many ways, there were years they could never get back. Mary and David hadn’t been there for her first steps or words. They hadn’t been able to help her through bullies or teach her how to do certain things.

 

There were other moments they had, though. Emma’s first time saying “Mom” and “Dad” had been even more special. Emma could clearly remember the first times they had each told her that they loved her. They were engraved on her heart like a tattoo. They had gotten to hold her as she cried, comfort her in ways that no one ever had. They were amazing parents, who loved with all their hearts.

 

She had grown in their hearts, it made her special. She knew that after all those years. It gave her hope, if they had been able to do that, then she could show love to her own child who she shared blood with. Mary and David had loved her with everything inside of them, they still did. She would do the same with her child.

 

Reaching over, she grabbed her mother’s free hand and leaned her cheek against it. Mary smiled and kissed the top of her head.

 

The door opened yet again and the doctor entered, taking in the scene. “Well, this family has grown since I first saw you, Emma.”

Emma couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, that’s sort of the story of my life.”

“Well, the good news is, everything is perfectly fine. Nothing’s happened to the baby.”

Emma let out a deep breath. “Are you sure?”

“See for yourself.” She walked closer and showed Emma the clipboard. “The term of your pregnancy, the baby’s sex, t-cell count is normal…” The doctor was droning on, but Emma had stopped listening at baby’s sex. Her eyes focused on the paper, blinking rapidly.

“My baby’s sex,” she whispered.

The doctor frowned. “Oh, um, I’m sorry. Did you not want to know?”

A small smile tugged on her lips. “No…it’s okay. I…I did.”

Mary titled her head. “Well, sweets…what is it?”

“It’s a boy.” Tears spilled down Emma’s cheeks. “I…I’m having a little boy.”

 

Mary clapped a hand over her mouth. She was getting a grandson? With tears in her eyes, she looked over at David who was beaming. He pulled her into his arms, giving her a quick kiss before kissing the top of Emma’s head. Neal was smiling for the first time since they had seen him again.

 

“I’m gonna have a nephew to play with?”

Emma nodded. “That’s right, buddy.” She cuddled him closer and looked up at a shell-shocked Robert. “Looks like you’re getting a great-grandson.”

Robert slowly nodded. “I guess I am.” He started to smile as well. “Congratulations.”

 

Emma’s hand went back down to her stomach and she slowly rubbed it. She was going to have a son, a little boy. She wondered who he would look more like, what he would sound like when he talked. Would he have her blonde curls or Bae’s brown ones? Would he have her smile or her chin? Would he even look like her at all?

 

The sex of the baby hadn’t crossed her mind at all over the months. She knew she was getting one or the other, but it hadn’t mattered. A little girl, a chance to break the cycle of abuse, would’ve been great, but she was getting that with her son as well. He was never going to feel how she had growing up. He was going to be loved, so incredibly loved. In that room alone he had his grandparents, an uncle (one who was going to be 9 years older than him, but an uncle nonetheless) and a great-grandfather.

 

“Congratulations,” the doctor said, interrupting her thoughts. “As I said, things look fine. I want to keep you overnight for observation, given your pregnancy, but I have no doubt that you and your son will be fine. You’re a lucky woman, Emma. That baby is a fighter.”

David grinned. “Just like his mother.”

 

It was clear that no one would be leaving Emma that night. They had their dinner from Granny’s and spent the time talking, watching the crappy T.V. Robert ended up falling asleep first in one of the chairs by Emma’s bed. Neal was next, curled up tightly into his sister’s side. The nurses had offered to bring Snow and David a roll away cot, which they were grateful for and they were off like a light not long after. Emma’s phone seemed to be abuzz with texts from her friends, who had heard the news. Emma just placed her hand back on her stomach.

 

“Hey there, little guy,” she whispered. “I can’t believe you’re actually… a little guy. This isn’t how I planned on finding out.” She laughed a little. “I just need you to know…I love you. I love you so much and I haven’t even met you yet, I didn’t know that was possible. Things are still crazy, even with Ed going to jail. I’ll be honest, I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I have to tell your other grandparents about you. I know how excited they’re going to be…everyone is so excited to meet you. Including me.” She gnawed on her lip. “I may not be the perfect mother or even the best, that title goes to my mom. I just need you to know, I’m gonna try as hard as I can…because I’m your mom…and I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is a bit more fluff and then I promise, we can get to the angst of the Baelfire situation. As always, please let me know what you want to see and what you think. Until next time, friends. =)


	11. Yellow Bugs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas Eve Eve, everybody! My present to all of you, finally updating this. Also, if you haven’t already, check out the Christmas future shot for this series, chapter 2 of “I Knew I Loved You”.

Mary and David sat on the edge of Neal’s bed, watching him carefully. They had gotten home from the hospital earlier that day and he had been so exhausted, he had willingly taken a nap for the first time since he was a toddler. They watched him sleep, his chest rising and falling. They couldn’t help but stick by his side. They weren’t sure how they were going to let him out of their sight ever again. A trip to Archie was definitely necessary, but for the time being, it was just them.

  
“Guys, this is overkill,” Emma mumbled.

 

David smiled down at her, they weren’t letting her out of their sight either, adult or not. She was curled up into David’s side, who had an arm around her. Mary had a hand on her stomach, clearly thinking that’d protect both her and their grandson. She was putting up a fuss, but obviously didn’t care too much.

 

“Suck it up,” Mary said. “You’re our babies. We’re spending our first night back home together.”

“You’re lucky that dad is comfortable,” she replied, letting out a content sigh.

David chuckled, ruffling her curls. “Seriously, Princess…how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

“Really?”

She sighed again, this one not as happy. “Honestly, I’m just glad he’s away. Hopefully the prison won’t be so stupid to let him out again.”

“We won’t let that happen. He’ll never be able to hurt you or Neal again.”

 

Mary watched as Emma’s eyes drifted shut, rubbing her back. It wasn’t long before she began softly snoring. She couldn’t help but giggle at that.

 

“She somehow gets that from you.”

“I don’t snore,” David protested.

“Um, yeah, you do.”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s weird the little things they seemed to inherit from both of us. Neal’s love of books from you, Emma wanted to become a cop like me, they’re both stubborn just like you…”

“Hey, that’s a trait from you, mister.”

“I’d beg to differ. Look at you.”

Mary looked down at Emma, smiling softly. “Nah, she was stubborn from the moment she got here. Remember how long it took her to actually accept our help?”

“I thought she’d kill herself with the dishwasher.”

“Can you believe how much she’s grown since then? I don’t just mean emotionally.” She frowned a bit. “Sometimes I look at her and all I see is that little girl.”

“I know, I do too. Now that little girl is having a baby.”

“She’s going to be an amazing mom.”

“Well, she did learn from the best.”

 

Mary smiled, pecking his lips and leaning into his other side, pulling Neal a bit closer in his sleep.

 

“We’re going to have another baby around here soon,” she mused. “We’ve never had an actual newborn here.”

“We used to babysit Gideon when he was that age.”

Mary gave him a look. “It’ll be a bit different from babysitting. Though, I guarantee that Miss Stubborn here is going to insist on doing most of the work herself.”

“Of course she will.” He paused for a moment. “Do you ever think about reaching out to Bae?”

“You mean to kill him?”

“I just want to talk some sense into him is all. He’s young, maybe he doesn’t realize what his reaction is costing him. Maybe, he’s changed his mind. I’ve known him for years, I really got to know him once he became friends with Emma. This just doesn’t seem like him.”

Mary frowned. “It doesn’t, does it? But you know what they say, babies either bring people together or tear them apart.”

“Still...after all his mother put him through…it just doesn’t seem like something he would do”

“What are you trying to say? That he was taken over by an alien?”

“Look, I get what you’re saying. This isn’t the Bae we know, I doubt it’s the one his parents do either. At the same time, how much have we really seen of him since he took off to see the world? Sometimes people change, David. It sucks and I wish it didn’t, for our daughter and grandson’s sake…but it happened. All we can hope is that in time, he sees the error of his ways and that Emma will let him around when he does. Your father came around for you.”

“I just hope it doesn’t take that long for Baelfire.” He chewed on his lip. “So, you don’t think we should reach out to him?”

“No. Emma says she plans on telling Belle and Ralph, let her do it in her own time. They can decide what they want to say to their own son about it. I think we know that we’d have something to say to Neal if he was acting this way.”

“I guess you’re right.”

 

David kissed her temple and leaned against Neal’s headboard. He knew Emma was putting on a good front, but also knew that all of this had to be killing her. There were so many things in life that he could fix for her, this wasn’t one of them and it was killing him.

* * *

Emma rubbed her hands together, a huge smile on her face. She had finally gotten her appetite back for grilled cheese and was celebrating by eating the biggest one that Granny’s had to offer, along with a large side order of onion rings. The kid had also stopped his grudge against hot cocoa it would seem, so she was able to enjoy it again.

 

It had been 2 months since the kidnapping. Life hadn’t been easy, not by a long shot, but they were adjusting. Both she and Neal had been seeing Archie for their trauma and it seemed that Neal was slowly getting through things. He still struggled with his fears of turning into Ed and as Archie put it, he had a hero complex to get over. He wanted to save people, he didn’t want them to get hurt like his sister had. It was sweet, but it could lead to him getting in trouble down the line. He was learning when to step up and when to ask for help.

 

Emma hated seeing her baby brother go through hard things. She just wanted him to be a kid. He could be, to an extent, but there were these fears looming over his head. Ed had stolen a part of his childhood, just as he had stolen all of hers. It was a sad reality and one neither would ever really be “over”. They were lucky to have each other to lean on. Their parents were supportive, but they’d never fully understand. They spent many nights cuddled up together, discussing everything. Emma told him parts of her childhood that she felt he could handle, Neal shared his fears.

 

They had a decent age gap between them, but they were still close and could still go to each other. Emma was really grateful for that and she knew Neal was too. She wouldn’t trade the bond they had for the world.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden binder being dropped in front of her. She blinked a few times before looking up and finding her mom standing there, a huge smile on her face.

 

“Mom?” She raised an eyebrow. “How’d you know I’d be here?”

“I called the station and your dad told me you would be.”

“Oh.” She smiled, it had been awhile since they’d had lunch together. “What’s this?”

“It’s just some ideas I’ve had,” Mary explained, sliding into the other side of the booth, beaming. “For your shower.”

Emma groaned, rolling her eyes. “Mom.”

“Oh come on, it won’t be so bad. Every mom should have one for her first child.”

“You didn’t have a shower,” Emma pointed out, cheekily.

Mary rolled her eyes. “Well, they don’t have showers for sarcastic teenagers.”

“And somehow you survived and were able to become a mom. I will too.”

“It’s not just about the gifts, it’s about celebrating the fact that you’re bringing a life into the world.”

Emma sighed. “Look, I’m not entirely opposed to the idea for that. I just don’t want anything too cutesy. Nothing blue or gender specific, yes he’s a boy, we don’t need to make a whole fuss about it.” Mary flipped forward a few pages of her binder and she cocked an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

“Just a little something I’ve thrown together, it’s ideas for your shower.”

“When did you put it together?”

“Maybe a little after you told me you were pregnant, it doesn’t matter, does it?”

 

Emma couldn’t help but laugh. This was her mother, a planner to the very end. She started looking through some of the designs her mom liked. They weren’t really her style, but she was trying to keep an open eye. Then, she found a cool idea that stuck out to her.

 

“I like the yellow bugs,” she said.

Mary grinned. “I picked that one out before we found out you were pregnant.”

“I think that’d be cool…especially using yellow as a jumping off point. It’s a neutral color and you know I’m partial to bugs.”

“So, you’ll go with this one?”

“Yes, but I really don’t want it to be a huge production, small guest list.”

Mary Margaret nodded, starting to take notes. “That’s fine. Who were you thinking?”

“Dad and Neal, for one. I know guys normally don’t come, but I don’t like that rule.”

“Neither do I, go on.”

“Well, Lily, Regina and Ruby, of course. Granny and Mal, too.”

“Uh huh.”

“And I guess, um…Ralph and Belle.”

Mary Margaret set her pen down. “You do know that requires telling them that you’re pregnant, don’t you?”

“Gee Mom, no. I thought I’d just invite them and let them think it was for you.”

She gave her a look. “Emma.”

“I know, I know.” She sighed. “I’ve put it off long enough. I avoid them as much as possible, I’ve gotten everyone to keep their mouths shut. I guess I’m just scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“What if they side with him? Or think that the baby’s not his? I’ve known them a long time…I already lost Bae…I don’t know if I could lose them, too.”

 

The truth was, Belle and Gold had been just as much of her childhood in Storybrooke as her friends. Mal and Granny were the same way. They were adults that helped shaped her life. Seeing Bae with Belle had given her hope that adoption could work out, that a parent could love a child that wasn’t their blood. They were still such a huge part of her life, becoming friends with her parents, Gideon was Neal’s best friend.

 

It had hurt her to keep the secret from them, just as much as it would’ve to keep it from her own parents.

 

“I know Belle and Ralph,” Mary Margaret said, squeezing her hand. “I think at the end of the day, they’ll just be disappointed with Bae. They’ll still want to be there for you…and the baby.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’m a mom, I know everything.”

Emma gave her a look. “Mom.”

“It’s just a super power we have.” She kissed her forehead. “And no matter what, you know that I’m always here for you, right?”

She nodded. “Even if I don’t deserve it.”

“Hey, don’t say that.”

“Mom, I know this is the last thing you and Dad need right now. You have a grown daughter and a son that’ll be a pre-teen in a few years. Now, there’s going to be a newborn around…”

“And we couldn’t be happier. Emma, we love you kids more than anything on this planet. We want to be there for you.”

 

Emma wasn’t sure if it was talking about Baelfire or the pregnancy hormones, maybe a combination of both, but she started to tear up. Sometimes it was just too much to remember how unconditionally she was loved. Her parents were so amazing and she didn’t feel deserving of them some days. Mary saw the tears in her eyes and squeezed her hand.

 

“Oh sweets,” she said, softly. “Don’t cry.”

“It’s the hormones,” Emma sniffled. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, baby.” She kissed her cheek. “Now go on, enjoy your sandwich.”

“You want some onion rings?”

Mary smiled and nodded. “I’d love some.”

* * *

Emma stood on the steps of the salmon colored house, running her fingers through her hair. It had been far too long since she had been by. When Bae was in town, he typically stayed in the loft above the pawn shop and Emma would visit him there. It hadn’t changed much over the years, the only real difference was the bike leaning against the garage. It seemed to get bigger every time she dropped by, a reminder of how fast time was going for Gideon and Neal, a bittersweet thought. She wanted to freeze time.

 

In fact, she wanted to go back in time. She wanted to be 16 again and to be pulling her bug in the driveway to hang out with Bae. Sometimes they’d be watching Gideon, stealing kisses when he watched a movie. Other times, they’d hang out in the garden, their fingers intertwined with each other’s. All the times they managed to make love up in his bedroom…

 

Quickly pushing the thoughts out of her head, she rang the doorbell. A moment later, Ralph answered the door. He was dressed in one of his trademarks suits, a lopsided grin on his face. It faded a bit upon seeing Emma.

 

“Miss Nolan, how may I help you?”

“I um…I needed to talk to you and Belle.”

“Belle took Gideon to see her father.”

“Oh.” Emma knew the complicated relationship Belle and Gold had with Maurice. “Well, you then.”

“Does it have anything to do with the pregnancy you’ve been hiding for the past few months?”

Emma blushed. “What…I…how…”

“Emma, you’ve always been a skinny thing.” He looked her up and down, shaking his head a bit. “It became quite obvious when you got bigger and then tried to hide behind it.”

“Does Belle know?”

“Yes. I haven’t told her about what I know, however.”

Emma tilted her head. “What you know?”

“I remember about 6 months ago, finding you in my shop before hours, coming out of Baelfire’s loft.”

She cringed. “That.” She had done all she could to erase the memory of that morning from her mind, it hurt too much.

“Considering that Bae hasn’t called me, I’ve assumed that you didn’t tell him.”

“Do you really think I’d keep this from him?”

“What am I supposed to believe? That my son just wouldn’t tell me he was to be a father?”

Emma’s lip formed a firm line. “Maybe because he doesn’t want to be one!”

Gold raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“I told him that I was pregnant, I e-mailed him a sonogram. He told me that he didn’t want a thing to do with me or the baby, to never contact him again.”

 

Gold stared at her for a few moments and she knew he was trying to tell if she was telling the truth or not. It was a look he had given her early on in her relationship with Baelfire. One thing they always joked about was having equally overprotective fathers, who didn’t trust their child’s significant other. They didn’t want them to be hurt, no matter what the cost. Heck, they had both spied on their first date. It had been something they laughed about for years. Emma understood Gold’s hesitance, but her hurt wasn’t allowing her to handle the situation diplomatically.

 

“You expect me to believe that my son, the one who was abandoned himself, would abandon his own child?”

“It’s the truth.”

“How do I know that you’re not lying so you can keep his child from him? How do I know that you’re not just deceiving me? This doesn’t sound like my son.”

“I know it doesn’t. That’s partly why it hurts so much.”

“Do you love him?”

Tears brimmed in Emma’s eyes. “You don’t think I love him?”

Gold shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“I love him, I’ve loved him since I was 14 years old. That’s why it hurts every time I see him, because I never stopped.” She bit her lip, shaking her head. “But he doesn’t love me, not anymore. I’ve had to accept that.” She wiped away her tears, not wanting to break down in front of him. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work.”

 

Gold watched Emma briskly walk away, letting out a small sigh. Digging through his pocket, he pulled out his cell phone, pressing 2 on his speed dial.

 

“Baelfire Cassidy Gold, you have a hell of a lot of explaining to do.”

* * *

A few days later, Emma sat next to her father on the floor, examining the instructions laid out in front of them.

 

“I’ve read Latin text that makes more sense than this,” David muttered.

“Give them to me,” Emma said, taking it from him. He had insisted that she not worry about it, that he could put the crib together, but this was her baby after all. “Alright, it says take screws E with washers D…through bar C…” She watched her father pick up the bar in question. “Using wrench F…” She squinted to read the small print without her glasses. “Which is not provided.” She sighed in frustration, dropping the parts in her hands.

“We could always call Marco,” Mary said from her seat on the couch. “He’s a carpenter after all.”

“No!” Emma and David exclaimed at the exact same time.

Mary rolled her eyes. “Stubborn, party of two.”

“Annoying, party of one,” Emma quipped back, throwing a piece of bubble wrap her way.

She chuckled, hearing the doorbell ring. “Neal, can you get that? Your father and sister are too busy trying to drive me crazy.”

 

David and Emma focused back on the crib, managing to find a wrench of his that would work. Just as they were getting the first part together, Neal’s footsteps could be heard coming into the room.

 

“Emma?”

Emma focused on what she was doing. “Yeah, kid?”

“Baelfire’s here.”

 

Emma was about to tell him how not funny that was, until she noticed a familiar pair of work boots. Her eyes slowly went up the body and she found Bae’s face staring back at her. The parts fell out of her hand and her eyes widened. Bae rubbed the back of his neck, looking just as surprised as she was.

 

“So it’s true,” he said. “You’re pregnant.”

 

She didn’t know what to say at first. There stood the man that she had believed to have torn out her heart and stomped on it. She stood up with the help of her father, who seemed to be wanting to go off her lead before he went to protective dad mode. She walked over to him, a protective hand on her bump, the other out to keep a barrier between them.

 

“What the hell are you doing here?”


	12. Complicated

 “Just let me explain,” Baelfire said.

“Why should I listen to a word you say?!?” Emma exclaimed. “You told me that getting involved with me was the biggest mistake you ever made!”

“I didn’t send that e-mail!”

Emma scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, right. What are you going to say? An alien stole your computer?”

“No. Look, when did you tell me that you were pregnant?”

Emma frowned. “A few months ago.”

“Milah broke into my apartment and when I found her, she was at my computer.”

“You really expect me to believe that?”

“Emma, you know me. Look at me, you have to believe me.”

 

Emma stared at him for a minute, looking dead into his eyes. Baelfire had always been a shit liar, he didn’t try to often, but even with surprises he couldn’t often keep them to himself. Slowly, she began to realize he could be telling the truth.

 

After months of believing he didn’t care, there he was. He was staring at her baby bump with wide eyes, looking awestruck. She looked over at her parents before glancing back at him.

 

“Mom…Dad…we um…we’ll be outside.”

David bit his lip. “Em…”

“We need some privacy.”

 

Pulling on her jacket, she lead Baelfire out onto the porch. She started pacing, her mind racing.

 

“So, you’re telling me that Milah hacked your e-mail and sent me that e-mail?”

“There’s no one else who could’ve done it, I certainly didn’t.”

“But I just…I don’t understand…”

“Did that really sound like anything I’d ever say to you?”

 

The hurt was written in his voice. She wanted to cry, but she also wanted to scream. He had every right to be hurt, just as she had every right to be suspicious. The whole situation was complicated and she didn’t feel competent enough to handle any of it.

 

“How could you believe that?” He asked.

“It was from your e-mail.”

“And you didn’t even try to call me? The Emma I know would’ve been breaking down my door, screaming at me to own up for our kid. Instead, you blocked my number and e-mail, I didn’t even know why!”

“Because I was hurt! I thought you had just told me that you wanted nothing to do with our baby! So, I thought, fine! I’ll make sure that you wouldn’t be burdened by us!”

“But it wasn’t the truth! You know me!”

Emma threw her hands up in the air. “What did you want me to do, Bae? My heart was shattered when I got that e-mail. Every time you left, that hurt, but this was worse than that. My heart was ripped from my chest and stomped on! You had rejected our child, me! I don’t handle hurt well, I normally run.”

Bae frowned. “And since you couldn’t run…you just blocked me out.”

“I know what it’s like to be unwanted,” she whispered. “I didn’t want that for our child. I had to protect them.”

“Them…or you?”

 

She chewed on her lip, reflecting on his words. Of course she wanted to protect her son from the heartbreak, but she had been through more than her share. That e-mail had destroyed her. It had made her feel replaceable, as if everything they had been through together was a lie. She didn’t like to think that she needed to depend on anyone, but the truth was, she did. She needed her parents, her brother, her friends.

 

She needed Bae.

 

“Do you know how much it hurts?” Emma asked. “How much it hurts to love someone that you can never have?”

“Who says you can’t have me?”

“Fate. Look at what we’ve been through. Your job, it means that you’ll never be here. We had a chance to reconnect and Milah ruined it.”

“Then my dad called me and I’m here again.”

Emma tilted her head to the side. “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m moving back to Storybrooke, I’m going to work for my dad until I can get a new job.”

“Bae…no! That’s not what you want! This job, it was your dream.”

“This baby is my dream. I want to be there for him or her, I want to be the parent that Milah never was. Family means the world to me, you mean the world to me.”

A single tear fell down Emma’s face. “I had already let you go.”

“I’m right here, Em. I’m not going anywhere ever again.”

The tears fell faster down her face. “I thought you hated me, I thought…I thought our relationship meant nothing. I was trying to get over you.”

“Oh Emma,” Baelfire stepped closer to her, taking his hand into hers. “I love you, I’ve loved you since I was 14-years-old. The moment you saw my scar and didn’t think I was weird for it. I have loved you ever since and I never stopped, not once.”

 

A sob escaped Emma’s lips. She felt vulnerable, she hated feeling like that. For so long, it was easy to think that he hated her. Sure, it hurt like hell, but it made the distance easier. It made it easier for her to move on and try to live a life without him. It was all different, he stood there, professing his love for her. It was all just too much, too soon. Everything had changed in the course of 5 minutes.

 

She fell into his arms, sobbing. He tightened his grip around her, resting his chin on top of her head. Inhaling the familiar scent of cologne and aftershave only made her cry harder. She hadn’t wanted to admit, but she had missed him, she had missed him so much. She didn’t realize that he was crying too, until she felt her hair begin to get wet.

 

“I’m sorry, Emma,” he whispered.

“You didn’t do anything.”

“Milah did, though. She hurt you like this, I’m just…I’m so sorry.”

“I’m sorry I cut you off without saying anything.”

“I understand why.”

 

She pulled away, wiping away her tears, him doing the same with his own. She let out a deep breath, sinking down onto the porch swing. He settled down beside her, smoothing down his jeans. She took him in for the first time since he got there. He clearly hadn’t shaven in a couple of days and his hair was growing out some, it almost resembled the fro he had when they were kids. Sitting on the swing, emotional, brought her back to right after they had just met.

 

_She glanced up for a moment to see a familiar brunette making his way up._

_“Baelfire.”_

_“I just wanted to check on you,” he said. “I’m sorry I left so quickly yesterday.”_

_“It’s okay.” She placed a marker in the book and set it down, patting the spot next to her. “Take a seat.” He sat beside her. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”_

_“It’s okay. I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner.”_

_“You got there just in time. Thank you.”_

 

It had been almost 10 years since that day and she felt like it had been a hundred years. He was one of the few people to ever see her so upset and he somehow always knew how to make her feel better.

  
“I don’t know what this means, for us,” she said. “I love you Bae, you have to know that.”

He nodded. “But the truth is, we’ve been apart for 4 years.”

“And we’re about to bring a baby into the world. I want you to be there for him, I just think when it comes to us…”

“We need to take things slow.”

“Exactly.”

Bae paused for a minute. “Wait…did you just say him.”

Emma smiled, in spite of herself. “Yeah, it’s a boy.”

“A boy.” A smile formed across his own face. “We’re having a son.”

“He’s a fighter, he’s already been on a few adventures.”

“Oh?”

“Let’s just say that you’re not the only one who got a visit from the bio parents from hell.”

Bae raised an eyebrow. “Ed…I thought he was in prison.”

“And he’s back there. I made sure of it.”

He let out a deep breath. “All the good stuff happens when I leave town.”

“Wouldn’t exactly call it good.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, we all are.”

“Good. I still want to kill him.”

“You kill him, I’ve got Milah.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

She half-smiled. “How are you doing with all that?”

“I haven’t heard from her since that day. I guess she did her damage and left.”

“Did you…want a relationship with her?”

“God, no. I have a mom and I love her, fuck Milah.”

“Good.” She rubbed her hands over her jeans. “Fuck, this is so complicated.”

He tilted his head back. “Tell me about it. I miss when our biggest problems were where we wanted to eat.”

“Let’s face it, we never had those problems.”

“We never got to be kids, did we?”

“Not in the way we were supposed to.”

“Our kid won’t be that way.”

“Nope, he’s gonna be a kid forever.” She flashed him a smile. “Is this really want you want?”

“It wasn’t exactly planned, but honestly…nothing has felt like home these past few years…not until I’m with you.”

“Does your dad hate me?”

Baelfire laughed. “I don’t think that’s possible. You’re like the daughter he never had.”

“We sort of fought when I went to tell him about the baby.”

“Meh…he wasn’t exactly thrilled with thinking I abandoned you.”

“Got an earful?”

“From him, then Mama.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “God, she’s scarier than Papa.”

Emma laughed, leaning into him. “Mothers normally are.”

* * *

 

Mary leaned back against the door, trying to get out what Emma and Baelfire were talking about. The walls were thick and while there was no longer shouting, it was clear that they were still talking. David stood in front of her, his arms folded over his chest. They had sent Neal upstairs to play and he had done so, begrudgingly.

 

“I can’t hear anything,” Mary sighed, stepping away from the door. “I’m sure she’ll tell us.”

“Do you think he’s telling the truth?”

“I don’t think Emma would still be bothering with him if he wasn’t.”

“This just doesn’t seem real.”

“You were ready to talk some sense into him a little while ago.”

“Yeah, but I thought there was sense to talk. I mean…what kind of mother would do this to their child? To their grandchild?”

“I think it’s been established that Milah is no mother.”

David sighed, shaking his head. “I’m glad for Emma and the baby. But…what does this all mean? I mean, are they going to be back together? Is Emma going to move out?”

 

The thought scared him. He had gotten used to the fact that she and the baby were going to be living with them, that they’d be able to help her out as much as she allowed. She was still so young, she needed them…didn’t she?

 

Mary softly smiled, stepping closer to him and taking his hands into hers. “Baby, I wouldn’t worry about that. If he’s telling the truth, I don’t think they’re going to jump into things like that.”

“What if they do?”

“Well….Emma’s a big girl, that’s her choice.”

“All of this is just…it’s a lot.” He frowned. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this, Mary.”

“You’re putting the cart before the horse.” She pulled him closer, resting her head on his chest. “She’s not going anywhere just yet, even when she does, you know we’ll never lose her.”

He nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

 

The door opened a few minutes later and Emma walked in, her face bright red and tear stained. David felt his muscles tighten and he headed for the door, but she got a grip on him.

 

“Daddy, it’s fine,” she said.

He relaxed a bit, putting an arm around her. “What happened?”

“He was telling the truth, he never sent the e-mail, it was all Milah.” She bit her lip. “He gave up his job, he’s going to work for his dad now. He wants to be in the baby’s life.”

Mary grinned. “That’s great news.”

“It is. It’s a lot to take in, but I’m…happy.”

“Are you, really?”

“I am, it’s just…complicated. A lot of things to work out still, I’m not exactly thrilled with Milah right now.”

David paused for a moment. “And you and Baelfire? What about your relationship?”

“We’re going to take things slow, focus on the baby for now. He’ll be here in just a few months, we’ll have plenty of time to figure out us. We’ve only ever known each other as kids…it’s time to get to know each other as adults.”

He smiled a bit. “That sounds very grown up.”

“It feels it.” She let out a sigh, rubbing her eyes a bit. “I know we were going to try to get the crib done, but all of this has me beat.”

“You should rest,” Mary said, switching to mama bear mode. “Go lay down, I’ll fix you something to eat before you sleep.”

“Thanks Mom.”

 

Emma leaned into David, letting him lead her upstairs. She collapsed back onto her bed, him laying beside her and stroking her hair. She glanced up at him, she could see the look in his eye.

 

“I’m still your little girl, you know,” she said.

“Good.”

“You’ll always be the first man who ever loved me. You have no clue what that means to me.”

“Emma, I don’t think you’ll ever understand how being your father has shaped my life,” he kissed her forehead. “I love you so much, Princess.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, I know. To be honest, this story probably only has a couple of chapters left, then the epilogue. I have loved this verse so much and will probably do future shots because I can’t let go of it, but at this point, I feel that all can be done with the Charming Family has been. Let me know what you want to see in these next couple of chapters and of course, what you think. =) Until next time, friends.


	13. Serenity Prayer

Life since Bae had returned was…tricky.

 

Mary hadn’t expected things to go back to normal, but she didn’t think life would be quite so awkward. Emma and Bae were working so hard to just focus on the baby, that they were ignoring the budding feelings between the two. She understood why, he had to come first. Even so, a part of her was excited for the two to get back to where they had once been.

 

Even so, Emma seemed happier again. She was more excited for the baby to come, to have more help. Bae assisted them with setting up the nursery, as did Belle and Gold. Things between Emma and Gold were better, clearly the misunderstanding was far behind them. As for Gideon and Neal, they just seemed happy to becoming uncles soon.

 

The day of Emma’s baby shower was a busy one. The Nolan’s backyard had been home to many functions over the years, but this was possibly their biggest for Emma’s considering she didn’t like celebrating her birthday. Mary knew a part of the reason she had agreed to the baby shower was for the baby, she knew that Emma wanted more for him. Deep down, Mary was ultimately doing it for her daughter. She had been through so much in life and yet remained so strong.

 

Mary knew that Emma looked up to her, but in many ways, she looked up to Emma. She couldn’t imagine going through all the pain she had throughout her life, yet stay standing. How she managed to keep a smile on her face. Yet, Emma did it all. Her little girl was truly amazing.

 

“Mama,” her daughter’s voice broke her out of her trance. “Am I doing this right?”

Mary looked down and found Emma trying to frost the cake, a tiny giggle escaping her lips. Despite 10 years of her trying to teach her daughter, it was seemingly a lost cause. “Why don’t you let me do it, sweets?”

Emma scoffed, handing the piping bag to her, taking in the bug shaped cake. “I still can’t believe you made this.”

“It wasn’t that hard.”

“Mom.” She gave her a look.

“When you’re a mom, you do these things for your babies. You’ll find that out soon enough.” Emma matched her smile and reached over to grab a cupcake, only to get her hand smacked away. “Those are for the shower.”

“Which is for the baby and he wants some cupcakes,” Emma said, flashing her a charming smile.

Mary rolled her eyes. “My grandson can wait. Speaking of which…does he have a name yet?”

“Well, you know we talked about the middle.”

She beamed, they had and she couldn’t wait. They just had to be careful, curious ears were all around the house. “Yes, but what about the first?”

“Bae showed me this book, The Gift of Magi. Belle gave him the book when they first met and it’s his favorite. He wants to name the baby after the author.”

“And you?”

“I think Henry is a perfect name.”

“Henry,” Mary grinned. “Henry Gold. That certainly sounds perfect.”

“And it goes with…” Emma trailed off when she saw her father coming in the kitchen. “Hey Dad.”

“Hey, Princess. Ooo…cupcakes.”

Emma giggled when David’s hand also got smacked away. “She says we can’t have any until the shower.”

“Surely my grandson…”

“Can wait until the party,” Mary interrupted, shaking her head. “You and our daughter are far too much alike.”

“What can I say? I was a good influence,” David said, wrapping an arm around Emma and kissing the top of her head.

 

When Mary had her back turned to get more icing, he quickly grabbed two cupcakes off the tray and handed one to Emma, winking. Emma stifled a laugh, it had been something they had done ever since she first arrived at their house. He’d sneak bake goods that Mary insisted they wait on and they’d enjoy them together. As they walked out of the room, they could hear her calling after them.

 

“You know I know every time you do that!”

“And yet you do nothing about it,” David called back.

Emma chuckled, unwrapping the paper from around the bottom. “How’s the backyard looking?”

“Like yellow threw up.”

“Appetizing,” Emma said, making a face before biting into her cupcake.

“Seriously, everything’s going to go amazingly.”

“I hope so. This is our first party as a family, with everyone.”

“We’ve had the Golds at our parties before.”

“Still, we’re forever connected now,” she rested her hand on top of her baby bump which had grown a lot and winced. “By this karate star, it would seem.”

“Can I feel?”

Emma laughed, he was one of the few that asked permission. “Go for it.”

 

David allowed her to adjust his hand so he’d be able to feel the brunt of the baby’s kicks. It still felt so surreal sometimes. He had never gotten to experience it with Mary and it had never bothered him. Becoming a parent through adoption was a gift and he wouldn’t trade it for any of the traditional moments. Even so, it was amazing to get to experience it as a grandfather.

 

It was a reminder that his little girl was pregnant, she was going to be bringing another life into the world. He knew she could do it, she was going to be the second best mother in the world (the first title went to his wife). Yet, it was still hard to look at her and not see the same little girl that had hesitantly sat by his side to watch football.

 

Speaking of which…

 

“I know you’re going to get a lot of gifts today…”

“The baby’s getting a lot of gifts,” Emma corrected. It was the only reason she had agreed to this thing.

David playfully rolled his eyes. “And I’m sure your mother has signed my name to whatever she bought you…”

“Which isn’t necessary because you guys have bought me way too much.”

“Would you stop interrupting me?” He asked, faking sternness.

She giggled. “Sorry.”

“Anyway, I wanted to give you…or my grandson, whatever…the first gift. This is just from me.”

 

He settled his half-eaten cupcake onto the table in the hall and grabbed a bag from the closet. Emma’s eyes widened as she pulled out two onesies. One was red and said “My Crib is Patriots Territory” and the other was blue and had the team’s name with the mascot, faded. Underneath both was a pennant.

 

“Dad, these are so awesome.”

“He’s a Patriots fan, that’s mandatory,” he said with a smile. “He can watch his first game with us.”

“Definitely.” She looked up at him, not sure why tears were brimming in her eyes. “I can’t believe you remembered how important this was to me.”

“It was the first time we ever really bonded.” He shrugged. “How could I forget.”

 

Emma put the stuff back in the bag and wrapped her arms around his neck, letting out a content sigh. She could still remember how nervous she had felt that day when she sat down, yet by the end of the game she was relaxed. It became a tradition, the two watching games every weekend. When she went to college, she’d watch them in the common area and then face time in the final seconds.

  
“I love you, Daddy,” she whispered.

“I love you too, Princess.” He kissed the top of her head. “We better finish setting up, before your mom chews us out for stealing the cupcakes.”

Emma laughed in spite of her tears and quickly wiped them away. “You’re probably right.”

* * *

If Emma ever had any doubt that she was loved, she had to look no further than her baby shower. It seemed as though everyone had shown up. There were of course the Golds and Regina (who had brought Robin and Roland), Lily and Ruby. Archie had also shown up as had Mal, Robert and Granny (the latter two had gotten very cozy and it seemed Robert was coming into town more and more to spend time with the family…yet would always stop by the loft later). Ashley, Thomas, Aurora, Phillip and Mulan were also among those in attendance, the crowd was so big and almost a little overwhelming for Emma.

 

Yet, every time she felt herself getting panicked, someone seemed to swoop in. David and Mary would lead her off to get something to eat or Bae would rub her back, easily calming her down. The anxiety raged in her chest, yet it would fade as soon as someone she loved was present. Even Neal was helpful, showing her a new dance he had learned at school.

 

Presents was a whole other shebang. She and Bae were set up in chaises decorated with yellow balloons and streamers. Most people had gotten wind of the theme and wrapped their gifts to match. There were the standard presents, such as clothes and bottle warmers. Possibly the biggest gift came from Lily and Regina, who left the party to go to their cars and returned with a stroller with an oversized plush swan inside. Emma’s mouth dropped open.

 

“You two have got to be kidding me.”

“We were at Marco’s buying the stroller and the swan was in the window,” Lily said with a shrug. “We decided to get it.”

“I talked them out of the matching duck,” Robin piped up as he tried to get Roland to not rip open the rest of Emma’s presents.

“Don’t you know swans are my thing for Emma?” Bae teased.

Lily rolled her eyes. “You don’t own swans, Gold.”

Emma shook her head, getting up to hug each of her friends. “It’s too much, but what else should I expect from you two?”

“Very true,” Regina agreed with a grin before plopping down next to Robin and putting Roland on her lap.

 

Emma couldn’t help but smile at the group. She knew it had been hard for Regina to enter into a relationship. Losing Daniel during their college years had been a difficult thing to go through. Yet, she was incredibly happy with Robin and Roland. They made her smile again. It gave Emma hope. If she could find happiness and love with Robin after all she had been through, Emma could find it again with Bae when they were ready.

 

Belle had practically set up her grandson-to-be with an entire library, while Gold had purchased Henry’s first bookshelf. It was beautifully crafted (also from Marco’s) and Emma knew it’d fit in just great with the rest of the nursery. She was leafing through The Ugly Duckling (which had been her favorite story as a kid) as the party went on, smiling as the “duckling” found his way to his real family. As it turned out, the duckling was always a cygnet, meant to be a swan.

 

Emma’s life had worked similarly. She had always been a Swan, she always would be. It just took time to find her actual family. She looked up at Mary and David, who were chatting with Archie, oblivious to her thoughts. Neal chased around Roland, Phillip and Gideon, clearly happy as well. He was still in therapy, working out his emotions over Ed. She knew in time thoughts of his birth mother would come up. There was a chance one day he’d want to find her and he’d have support in that.

 

She wasn’t a bad person, she was just a young girl who knew she couldn’t give him what he needed. So, she allowed him to be adopted by a family who loved him more than anything.

 

Sometimes, Emma wondered what would’ve happened if she had kept him. Would she ever know he had existed? She just couldn’t picture her life without her baby brother. He hadn’t been planned, but then again, what about her life had been? She had gone from an orphan, facing the world alone, to having more family than she knew what to do with. It just kept growing by the minute and soon, they’d be getting one more addition.

 

All she wanted, was to do right by Henry. She wanted to give him a good childhood from the start, just like the one that Neal had. Emma never wanted him to feel the way that she had and he never would. That was part of the magic of having a child with someone like Baelfire. He knew what Emma had gone through, because he had partially lived it himself. He was lucky to have a father like Ralph to help him through it. Yet, he had grown up with a mother that had done nothing but abuse then abandon him.

 

They would be better to Henry. They would follow in the example of Belle and Ralph, of Mary Margaret and David.

 

“Sorry I’m late.”

 

Emma’s head whipped around and she felt her stomach sink. She had only ever seen one picture of Milah, it was hidden in Bae’s baby box. She had been holding him with a smile on her face. Emma once asked Bae why he kept it, he said he could never bring himself to throw it out.

 

Yet, despite 24 years of aging, Milah didn’t look too much different from her picture. Emma looked over at Bae, who was frozen in spot, unsure of what to do. Emma pushed herself up and put a hand on his arm. Gold’s hand stiffened on his cane, Belle’s arm looping through his arm. Mary looked from her daughter to the woman.

 

“Emma…who is this?” She asked.

“Milah,” Emma said, causing Bae to stiffen more.

Mary’s eyes narrowed and she stepped in front of the crowd. “You need to leave, now.”

Milah ignored her and walked closer to them. “I heard about this little family reunion. Bae, how do you even know that this baby is yours?”

“First you break the mother of my child’s heart and then you come here, trying to ruin her shower?” Bae whispered, his voice dripping with venom.

“I was trying to do what was best for you, Baelfire.”

“Regina, bring the kids inside.” When his friend hesitated, he gave her a look and she gathered them up with the help of Robin, leading them inside despite Gideon and Neal’s confusion over what was going on. “What was best for me?”

“Yes.”

“How the hell would you know what is best for me? I’ve seen you, what? Twice in the past 19 years?”

“I have been a shitty mother…”

“You haven’t been one at all,” Emma cut in. “Trust me.”

“This doesn’t concern you.”

“You tried to make me raise my son alone, I’d say it is.”

“Listen, I made a mistake when I had Baelfire. I thought I could be a mother and it turned out to be the worst mistake of my life. I’m just trying to stop him from making the same mistake! Every parent wants what’s best for their child!”

“You’re right,” Belle said, speaking up for the first time since Milah had walked in. All eyes went to her, surprised. Even Ralph didn’t know where she was going with agreeing with his ex-wife. “So, as Baelfire’s real mother, this is what’s best for him.”

 

Calmly, along with all the grace and poise Belle French-Gold possessed, she strutted over to Milah. The latter had a good few feet above her, but that didn’t seem to matter. Belle’s fist raised and she punched Milah square in the jaw.

 

A gasp escaped everyone’s lips and Baelfire’s eyes widened. “Mama!”

Belle shook out her fist, shaking her head. “I’ve been wanting to do that for 9 years.” She looked over at Mary. “Do you have any ice?”

Still stunned, Mary nodded. “Yes, come with me.” She lead her off, squeezing her good hand and congratulating her as they walked over to the drinks table.

Milah was holding her jaw, clearly a mixture of shocked and pissed. “Call the cops! I’ve been assaulted.”

“You’re looking at them,” David said, pointing between himself and his daughter. “And I think if I called for backup, it’d be to report you for breaking and entering into Baelfire’s apartment. Besides, you walked into my yard uninvited.”

 

Milah glared at the people in front of her and Robin came back outside, leading her out of the gate. Emma rubbed Baelfire’s back, looking up at him.

 

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah…I just…I can’t believe Mama _punched her_.”

Emma laughed. “I’ve never seen Belle that pissed.”

“I have,” Ralph said. “Only once before, when I told her about what she did to you, to us.”

“Are you okay, Mr. Gold?”

“I’m fine, I just can’t believe she had the nerve to actually show up here.”

Belle walked over, holding some ice wrapped in a paper towel to her fist. “I’m sorry Emma, I didn’t mean to ruin your shower…”

“You didn’t,” Emma assured her. “You just made it ten times more awesome.”

“I didn’t know you could punch like that,” Bae added, putting an arm around her.

Belle shrugged. “No one messes with my boys.”

 

The shower slowly resumed, though it wasn’t exactly the same after that turn of events. Later that night, Emma bopped around the nursery, trying to put away all the presents. Mary walked into the room, giving her a soft smile.

 

“It’s getting late, sweets.”

“I just want to get all this organized. He’ll be here before you know it.”

“Yes and until then, you still need all your rest.”

Emma rolled her eyes, shutting the drawers. Her eyes went above the crib, which had Bae’s old license plate collection. “I can’t believe Milah showed up.”

“I have a feeling she never will again after what Belle did.”

“Sometimes I’d like to forget where Bae and I came from…before we got our good moms.”

“I know,” Mary squeezed her shoulder. “Belle and I definitely wish we could’ve been your first mothers.”

“Do you think I’d be the same?”

“I don’t know. I like to think so.” Mary pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “When I struggled getting pregnant, Archie told me about the serenity prayer.”

“Isn’t that for alcoholics anonymous?”

“It works for a lot of situations. It says to focus on the things you can change and accept the things you can’t. But there’s a part a lot of people don’t know. _Living one day at a time;  
enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace_.” She put a hand on Emma’s cheek. “Your hardships were terrible Emma and I wish more than anything that you didn’t have to go through them…”

“But they did lead me on the path to peace,” Emma whispered. “I never thought I’d be this happy.”

“It’s hard to focus on the now, I get that. Just know we’re still here for you, always have been, always will.”

“I know.” She smiled. “I love you, Mama.”

“I love you too, sweets.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belle punching Milah, probably the most cathartic thing for myself. We should've gotten that in canon...
> 
> Anyway, at this point, we have two chapters left in this story, including the epilogue! If there's anything you want included in there, please let me know. :) I will probably do future shots for this story at some point, because I have a few ideas for Teen Neal. As always, tell me what you think. Until next time, friends. =)


	14. Home Is...

Emma wasn’t normally one for children’s birthday parties, but she had agreed to go to Phillip’s to lend a hand. Not that either of her parents or Bae thought that it was a good idea. Frankly, Emma didn’t care. A month ago, her doctor had put her on desk duty and it was driving her crazy. She missed being out in the action, or at least as much action that a small town like Storybrooke would provide.

 

However, halfway through the party and she was having some doubts. She had woken up around 5 with some sharp pains, but chalked it up to Braxton Hicks contractions, she had been having them for days. The kids were running around and the noise was becoming a bit too much. Picking up her water bottle, she downed about half of it. Her doctor had told her that would help her through them.

 

Except, it wasn’t. They kept getting worse and she clutched onto her stomach, letting out a few deep breaths. Mary was busy chatting with Aurora and Neal was nowhere in sight. Slowly, she settled into a chair and rubbed her stomach.

 

“Come on buddy,” she whispered. “Don’t you want to wait until the party’s over?’ A sharp kick told her otherwise and she bit her lip to suppress a scream. “Guess not.”

 

Mary sensed something was off and turned to look at Neal. He was sword fighting with Phillip and Gideon, using the wooden ones that the birthday boy had gotten from his father. One child okay and secure. She found Emma sitting in a chair, clearly in pain and clutching her stomach.

 

Child number two not so okay.

 

She and Aurora walked over to her, kneeling in front of her. “Em? Are you okay?” Mary asked.

“I think…I think I’m in labor.”

 

Mary’s eyes widened and suddenly all of the planning she had fell out of her mind. Emma’s bag was at the house, as was her birth plan and everything else they had gotten ready. Luckily, Aurora sprang into action.

 

“How far apart are the contractions?” She asked.

“2…” Emma let out a tiny scream and Mary gripped her hand, squeezing it, waiting it out. “2 minutes apart,” she panted once it was over.

“Okay, honey, that’s when I went to the hospital to have Phillip.” She looked over at Mary. “We can take care of Neal after the party, you just focus on bringing her to the hospital.”

“Thanks, Rory,” Mary said, helping Emma up. By that time, Neal had noticed the commotion and ran over to them.

“What’s going on?” He asked.

“Emma’s going to have her baby.”

“Really? Can I come?”

“Afraid not buddy,” Emma said, trying to remember the breathing techniques she had learned in birthing class. “This is something for grownups.” She saw his face fall and softly smiled. “But don’t worry, when he comes, you can definitely meet him.”

 

Mary kissed the top of her son’s head and lead Emma out the gate, rubbing her back and helping her through another contraction. She got Emma settled in the back and smiled down at her.

 

“Is my baby ready to have a baby?”

“Not at all,” Emma said. “But I have a feeling it’s too late to back out now.”

Mary chuckled. “Just a tad. I’ll call your dad and Bae on the way there.”

 

During the ride, Mary attempted to time the contractions and soothe Emma, which wasn’t easy. Her daughter normally had a good tolerance for pain, but labor was a whole different ballgame. Halfway there, she instructed her Bluetooth to call her husband.

 

“Hey baby,” David’s voice filled the car.

“Hey, what are you doing right now?”

“Baelfire, Gold and I are just about finishing up the rocking chair in Em’s room.”

“Great, you’re all together. I need you to grab her bag and the birthing plan, then come to the hospital.”

There was a quick pause. “It’s time?”

Mary grinned. “We’re going to be grandparents.” Emma let out another scream and Mary could practically feel her husband fill with panic.

“Don’t worry, Princess, we’ll be there as soon as we can.”

Emma’s response was just another scream and Mary chuckled. “I’ll text you room information, we’re about there.”

* * *

David rushed down the corridor, Bae right behind him. Gold was still parking the car and calling Belle so she could get down there. This was it, after months of waiting, he was about to be a grandpa. They found the room number that Mary had texted and ran straight inside. Emma was in between contractions and looked up at both men, a tiny smile going across her face. Two of the three boys that she loved most in the world were going to be there to celebrate her welcoming the fourth.

 

“Hey Princess,” David said, walking to one side of the bed next to his wife, while Bae went to the other. “How are you doing?”

“I’m good, I’m six centimeters dilated.”

Bae squeezed her shoulder. “So…this is it?”

Emma nodded. “Yeah…this is it. “We’re going to be parents.”

“Wow,” he whispered. “I can’t believe this is happening already.”

“Well, to be fair you were in the dark for 6 months.”

He rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

 

A nurse entered the room and examined Emma before writing some things down on her chart.

 

“You are definitely six centimeters,” she said. “I would recommend the epidural now if you were going to get one.”

“Oh, I need one,” Emma said. She had originally planned against it, but in that moment, things were hurting like hell.

“Great.”

 As she walked out of the room, Emma looked up at her dad, tilting her head. She wasn’t sure how to articulate how she felt without hurting his feelings. “Dad, I love you…”

“But I get it,” he interrupted. “This is something for you and your mom, plus Baelfire.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be in the waiting room with Gold and Belle if you need me.”

 

He walked out of the room, feeling a bit relieved. He wanted to be there for Emma, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about seeing her in so much pain. It was something for Emma and Mary (plus Bae, as he had pointed out), he would be there afterwards. When he made it to the waiting room, he found Gold sitting in a chair, gripping his cane. He settled down beside him.

 

“Emma’s over halfway there,” he said. “She’s going to get the epidural.”

“Good idea. We got here too late with Gideon for Belle to get one.”

“Does it weird you out at all that we’re about to be grandparents.”

Gold laughed a tad. “It does, but I know the kids will be able to handle it.”

“They’re not exactly kids anymore.”

“Don’t remind me. Seems like only yesterday you were calling me to let me know that my son was shirtless in her room.”

David chuckled at the memory, running his fingers through his hair. “That was not one of my favorite parenting moments.”

“I think it was then I realized that he’d end up with your daughter.”

“They fit together, they flow.”

“And they’re happy.”

“Exactly.” David drummed his fingers on his jeans. “I just wish there was more I could do. She’s my little girl and she’s…she’s tiny. What if she can’t push it out?”

“She’ll be able to.”

“What if something happens?”

“Did you know Bae was born via cesarean?”

The abrupt change of conversation caused David to meet Gold’s glance. “I didn’t.”

“Scariest moments of my life,” Gold mused. “They didn’t even let me in the room. I paced this very waiting area for what seemed like hours. Finally, the doctor came out and told me Milah was resting and that I could see Bae in the nursery. I didn’t know what to expect, if he’d be attached to machines or if he’d cry when I saw him. Instead, he was quiet…calm…” He cleared his throat, clearly getting misty eyed from the memory. “My point is, children are stronger than we give them credit for. Emma’s going to be just fine, so is the baby.”

* * *

The drugs calmed Emma. She was aware that she was contracting, but it wasn’t as bad as before. She leaned against the pillows, sucking on the ice chips. A part of her was glad that she had eaten at the party, she wasn’t aware she wouldn’t be able to eat until the baby was born. Bae had been such a nervous wreck that Mary had sent him for coffee for the two of them. Her mother was brushing her hair, trying to calm her more. Emma could feel her mother’s eyes directed at her and realized that they had a twinge of sadness in them.

 

“What’s wrong, Mom?” She asked.

Mary shrugged, shaking her head. “It’s silly.”

“Tell me. Is this too hard for you? It’s okay if you have to step out…”

“No, it’s not that. I’m just thinking about when you broke your ankle.”

“The day the adoption was finalized,” Emma remembered.

“You were in so much pain, yet you tried to be brave. I realized how tough you had to be over the years, how much pain you had to suppress.”

“I did. I learned at a young age that crying didn’t help much.”

“It broke my heart. Neal is so different, he gets hurt and he’ll cry. It’s not wrong, he’s just different. Sometimes I forget how strong you are.”

“Mom…”

“It’s a good thing, Emma. They say parents are supposed to be role models to their children, but you’ve been one to me. I wish I could be as strong as you.”

Emma shook her head. “Mom, don’t you get it? You are so incredibly strong. Look at everything you’ve faced in life. Yet, you’re still standing, you’re so kind, to everyone. As for role models…” She sighed. “When I was little, I wasn’t the type of girl who thought about being a mom. Playing house was my idea of a nightmare. I didn’t think I could do it, I didn’t think I would ever know how. It was only after I was placed with you that I could picture it.”

 

Emma let out a deep breath, blinking the tears of out her eyes and squeezing her mother’s hand.

 

“You and Dad, you changed my life. You taught me what love really is and how to show it return. You gave me a relationship to aspire to, you were parents I wanted to be. If it weren’t for you…I don’t know that I’d even still be here. There’s no way I could be doing this without you.”

The tears fell down Mary’s cheeks and she brought Emma’s hand to her lips, gently kissing her knuckles. “I love you so much, sweets.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

 

Bae returned to the room and things seemed to pick up quickly. The epidural was doing its magic and yet Emma felt the vaguest pressure. Once the nurse determined she was fully dilated, the doctor came in.

  
“Okay, Emma, I’m going to count back from 10 and then I want you to push.”

 

  1. _9\. 8. 7. 6…_



 

The numbers seemed to taunt Emma, they couldn’t go fast enough. Bae and Mary were gripping her hands, trying to say encouraging things, but she couldn’t hear them. She let out another scream, gripping tightly to them. She pushed for what seemed like days, but according to the nurse it was only 45 minutes.

 

“I don’t want to do this anymore,” Emma panted, tilting her head back. “I can’t, this is too much.” She looked over at her mom. “Mommy, I’m tired.”

“I know, baby,” Mary said, stroking her cheek with her free hand. “But think about this, a few more minutes of pain for your little miracle. You can do this, I know you can.”

“You’re so close, Em,” Bae agreed, squeezing her other hand. “We’re going to have a son in a few minutes.”

 

The two kissed her forehead at the same time and she let out a deep breath, pushing as hard as she could one more time when the doctor counted back. The lights in the room flickered and Emma felt a sudden relief. A pregnant pause, followed by shrieking.

 

“Happy birthday, baby boy,” the doctor said. He turned to Baelfire, nodding. “Would you like to cut the cord?”

 

Baelfire seemed to be in shock as he stared down at his son, allowing the nurse to help him cut the cord. The baby’s nose was cleared out and he was placed on Emma’s chest. Her eyes locked with his and she felt an intense pull at her heart. It had been him, the entire time. 9 months of puking, crying and fright…all resulted in the beautiful baby in front of her. He was still covered in gunk, but his cries were dying down.

 

He was bigger than Emma expected, while still being so tiny. This chubby, pink being that was hers, all hers. He had a bunch of dark hair on top of his head already, another thing she hadn’t expected. A tear trickled down her face and she ran her finger over his cheek.

 

“Hey, Henry,” she whispered. Once again, Bae and her mother were talking, but she couldn’t hear either of them. All she could focus on was her beautiful baby boy. “I’m your mommy. I’m going to love you forever.” She was caught off guard by the nurse lifting him from her chest, she felt her hand latch onto his tiny one. “Where are you taking him?”

“Just to clean him up, I’ll bring him right back.” She saw the fear in her eyes and Emma wasn’t sure quite where the protectiveness in her heart came from. “I promise.”

Emma watched her carry the baby away and let out a deep breath when she confirmed the nurse really was just cleaning him up. She turned to look up at Bae, smiling. “You’re a dad.”

“We have a son,” he breathed. “He’s perfect.”

“He has so much hair, I think we know where he gets that from.”

Bae chuckled, leaning down to brush his lips against hers. “I love you, Emma.”

“I love you, too.”

 

Mary smiled at the two, feeling the tears spill down her cheeks. Her baby girl was building a family of her own. No, she amended, she was adding onto theirs. The Golds and Nolans were forever connected, now not just by their children…but their amazing grandson.

 

The nurse finished cleaning up Henry after Emma had delivered the afterbirth and wrapped him in a blanket, placing him in Bae’s arms. He was crying not long after that, marveling in how perfect his son was. The love the new parents shared with their son could not be measured or explained. It was the same as the first moment Mary saw both of her own children, when they knew that they were meant to be hers forever. It wasn’t long before the baby was in her own arms.

 

“Well hello there,” she whispered. “I’m your grandma.” She kissed his tiny nose, inhaling that sweet baby smell. “You are just the sweetest thing on earth, yes you are, yes you are.”

 

She cuddled and snuggled him for a bit, but knew she couldn’t hog him forever. Gently, she placed him back into Emma’s arms.

 

“Are you up for some visitors?”

“Heck yeah.”

 

Mary disappeared into the hallway and made her way to the waiting area. Gold, Belle and David practically leaped out of their seats upon seeing her. She grinned, pointing behind her.

 

“Who wants to meet our grandson?”

 

Belle and Gold quickly hurried down the corridor (or as quick as they could given the latter’s cane). David wrapped his arms around Mary, resting his forehead against her.

 

“How’d our girl do?”

“Amazing. She was so brave and strong, as always.”

“I’m sure it helped that she had her mom with her.” He kissed her, cherishing it for a moment. “Can I meet my grandson now?”

“Of course.”

 

Linking arms, they made it back down the hall. Belle already had Henry in her arms, cooing down at him. Gold had his arm wrapped tightly around her, looking misty eyed and in awe of his grandson. David squeezed Bae’s shoulder and then perched on his daughter’s bed, kissing her forehead.

  
“Hey Princess,” he whispered. “How you doing?”

“Sore, tired, but it was worth it. Daddy, he’s amazing.”

“I’m sure he is. Just like his mama.”

“When Belle’s done threatening to kidnap him, you can have him.”

“I heard that,” Belle said, her eyes not moving from Henry’s.

“You were meant to.”

 

It was another few minutes of cooing and awing before Gold gently took the baby from his wife and gave his forehead a kiss before placing him into David’s arms. His heart became a puddle in his chest as he took in the baby’s features. The dark hair was all Baelfire, but he seemed to have Emma’s nose. This was his grandson and he loved him with all of his heart.

 

“Do you want to hear his name?” Emma asked. David nodded, not moving his eyes from the baby. “Henry.” Belle squealed and hugged her son, clearly touched that it was after an author they shared a love in. “Henry David Gold.”

David’s head snapped up at that and he felt tears come to his eyes. “Emma…”

“Dad, when I was younger…I didn’t ever think I could be loved. I didn’t trust anyone, let alone men. You taught me…” She felt herself getting choked up. “You taught me what a father could be, what one should be. Not only that, I realized what kind of man I might want some day. You pieced me back together and I can’t think of a greater person to name my son after.”

He moved closer to his daughter and kissed her forehead. “Oh Princess…I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to. Just thank you…for being there.”

“I wouldn’t change a thing.”

* * *

The evening was a blur of learning how to feed and letting Henry go for tests, passing each and every one of them. He was a whopping 7 pounds and 8 ounces, 19.5 inches long. She didn’t get much sleep that night, no one did. They managed to convince Belle and Gold to go home so they could be with Neal and Gideon, the new excited uncles. The next morning, both came to the hospital and each took a turn holding the baby. Neal curled up into Emma’s side as he did, clearly any insecurity he felt had melted away.

 

Visitors came and went. Regina dropped by with Robin, Granny and Ruby came by. Robert took a half-day at work so he could meet his great-grandson. Emma really hadn’t been sure about him at first, but she truly loved him. He had earned his place in their family and it was clear, he wasn’t going anywhere.

 

Two visitors that Emma had been waiting on came by at the same time, by sheer coincidence. Archie was holding a bouquet of flowers and Lily was clutching a blue teddy bear. Mary and David had left to bring Neal home and shower, as had Gold and Belle with Gideon, so it was just Emma, Bae and Henry. The two took turns holding the baby, cooing over him.

 

“So, we’re kinda glad that you both came here at the same time,” Emma said. She leaned back against Bae and he put an arm around her. “We have a lot of important people in our life and we know they’ll all help shape Henry’s life. But we hope you two will especially.”

“Archie,” Bae continued. “You’ve helped me and Emma in so many ways. Hopefully, Henry won’t need therapy like we do…but we want you to be his godfather, to be someone to help guide him and raise him.”

Archie beamed. “I would love to, I’d be honored.” He bounced the baby a bit in his arms.

“And Lily, you were our first best friends,” Emma said. “You took us under our wing and even though you were crazy, we wouldn’t have you any other way. We’d like you to be Henry’s godmother.”

Tears sprung to Lily’s eyes. “Seriously?”

Emma nodded. “Yeah. Ruby and Regina will always aunts to him, but we want you to have that honor.”

The floodgates broke and Lily burst into tears, rushing to her friends. She hugged Emma tightly and Emma returned the gesture. “I promise, I’ll be the best fucking godmother ever.”

Emma laughed. “So long as you don’t curse in front of him.”

“Of course, of course.” She moved to hugging Bae, kissing his cheek. “Ugh, I am so glad that you two idiots stopped being idiots.”

“You’re going to tell him that story aren’t you?” Bae asked.

“Of course I am.”

* * *

Before Emma knew it, it was time to go back home. Things felt different when she carried Henry through the threshold, but in a good way. Their lives were forever changed, devoted to the tiny squish in her arms. The first day was a blur, full of feedings and starting to learn what each cry meant. Everyone helped and did their part, but Emma was stubborn. She wanted to try to do everything on her own.

 

Bae fell asleep beside her that night, David and Mary agreed it would be good for him to stay the first few weeks to help out. It was good to have him there, to feel close to him again.

 

Henry woke up several times throughout the night and they took turns with him. Around 5 AM, it was Emma’s. He was dry and didn’t seem to want to eat, despite Emma knowing he was probably hungry. Getting an idea, she put on her jacket and bundled up Henry as much as possible without suffocating him, carrying him out to the porch. She lowered herself onto the porch swing, feeding him as she looked out at the rising sun. Henry seemed to settle down, finally eating.

 

“This is where your daddy and I sat once, we actually had our first kiss right here on this porch,” Emma whispered. “This is sort of our spot, but it can be ours too.”

“Emma?” She looked up and found her dad standing in the doorway. “What are you doing out here?”

“I think he likes the motion of the swing.”

“Ah.” David sat beside her. “Get much sleep last night?”

“Nah, but I expected as much.”

David leaned back against the swing. “Still a bit surreal to think of my baby having a baby.”

“It’s weird for me too. I didn’t realize I could love this much until I held him. Is that weird?”

He shook his head. “No. I felt the same way when I met you, when I first held your brother. You see, a love between a parent and child differs than the love between people who are romantically involved. It’s not better or anything, it’s just different and amazing and beautiful. I thought when I met your mother, I couldn’t love anything as much…then you came into my life. You changed it, you made it even more amazing.” David stroked her hair. “My heart expanded in ways I never pictured the day Helen showed me your file.”

Emma nodded, letting out some air through her nose. “I’m still scared.”

“Parenthood is scary, it’s also amazing and rewarding. Plus, you know you’ll never be alone.”

“I do.” Emma rest her head on his shoulder.

 

She wanted to always remember it all. The day Helen’s station wagon pulled into the drive, the first time she called them “Mom and Dad”. All the dances and dates, the numerous goodnight kisses that happened on that very porch. Meeting her baby brother, loving him with everything in her heart. Finding out she was pregnant, bringing Henry home.

 

Emma had lived in two different houses with Helen and Ed. After that, there had been 15 foster ones. She had lived in a dorm in college, but that was never really home.

 

No, Emma’s first home had been Storybrooke. Not just the house that she lived in, but her parents, her family. They were home.

 

After all, home is where the heart is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the next chapter is the epilogue. I plan on posting it this Saturday, which will be the 17 month anniversary of this verse. I'll save my sappy goodbye for this story for the next chapter. As always, please tell me what you think and thank you so much for reading. <3


	15. Happily Ever After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait until Saturday, but I wrote this last night and I just couldn't wait.
> 
> Nearly 17 months ago, I posted my first ever multi-chapter fic. I didn't think anyone would read it, but little by little, it grew a fan base. I had people asking for more and it meant so much to me. I put so much of myself into Emma and it really helped me with my own depression. I loved reading reviews that people could relate, whether it was to Snowing as parents or to Emma, as a victim of mental illness or gaining a sibling through adoption. I want to thank every single person who read along and left reviews. This story has given me so many friends and I will be forever grateful.
> 
> I hope in the future to add one shots to this story, I already have one in mind for when Neal is a little older. As for now, let us watch these characters get a happy ending, or happy beginning, depending on how you look at it.

Emma could count the number of times she had worn a dress on one hand. Once when she was little, the day she was adopted, her sophomore homecoming, her prom and now…her wedding day.

 

It had been 2 years since Henry was born and things had been crazy, yet beautiful at the same time. Henry grew up faster than any of them would’ve liked, but he was a great toddler. He could be quiet at times, “reading” his books or trailing after family. He could also be all over the place, wanting to color, dance around and overall just be a miniature version of his mother. He was so close with his family and it was clear that the importance of it had rubbed off on him from his parents.

 

Baelfire and Emma had gone on their second first date 6 months after he was born and from there, it was as if they had never been apart. They saw each other almost every day, spending time with Henry and sleeping at each other’s houses. One morning, however, Emma discovered a house for sale…just down the street from her parents’. They’d be moving in after their honeymoon.

 

The thought was hard on Emma. She had moved out temporarily in college, but was always home for breaks. She knew it was time, she was 25 years old, a mother, about to be a wife. It was just the end of an era and it would be an adjustment on all of them.

 

Emma stood in the white tent on the beach, staring at herself in the mirror that she had set up. Her dress was simple and strapless, it waved down and looked more like a fancy sundress than anything. Her curls were loose and fell down her back, no veil in sight. Mary came up behind her, a small smile on her face, tears in her eyes.

 

“Oh come on, Mom,” she said. “No crying yet, it’s not even time for the ceremony.”

“I can’t help it, my baby girl is just so beautiful,” Mary whispered. She held up a small white box. “I have something for you, it’ll be your something old.”

 

At first she hadn’t wanted to go with the traditions, but one by one they just seemed to be falling in her lap. Belle had loaned her some earrings, she was wearing a bracelet that was blue and her something new was the pair of flip flops she had bought that morning. She watched as her mother opened the box and gasped. Set in black velvet, was a tiara. Emma tilted her head, trying to remember where she had seen it before.

 

“I wore this on my wedding day,” Mary said.

That’s when it dawned on Emma, she had seen it in the wedding portrait that hung in the foyer, time and time again. “Mom…”

“I know you’re not a girly girl, but…”

“It’s perfect,” Emma whispered. “I would be honored to wear it.”

 

Mary beamed and adjusted it in her hair. Emma let out a deep breath, running her fingers down her dress.

  
“Cold feet?” Mary asked.

Emma shook her head. “No. I’ve known Bae since I was 13…I’m just ready to be his wife.”

“I felt the same way when I married your father. When you know, you just know.”

 

Emma’s eyes fell to her engagement ring, a simple diamond that was set in rubies. Bae had bought it from his father’s shop and proposed during a horror movie marathon. Despite them discussing marriage, she was taken off guard and yet knew what she wanted deep in her soul. She had watched her parents with their true love and had found some of her own.

 

“Is it safe to come in?” David’s voice lingered from the opening of the tent and Emma spun around.

 

David’s eyes focused on his daughter and his breath caught in his throat. In front of him stood a woman, he had known she was one for quite some time. Yet, there were casual reminders now and again of just how adult she was. She looked like a modern princess, with her tiara yet simple dress and flip flops.

 

Baelfire hadn’t asked him and Mary for permission, but knowing that Emma had told them they were discussing marriage, he had gone to them to talk. He explained how much he loved Emma and how he just wanted them to officially be a family. David knew Baelfire loved his daughter and there was no way he could deny their happiness. He knew that he wasn’t losing his baby girl, no matter what, they would always be a family.

 

“Well, Daddy,” Emma said, pulling him out of his thoughts. “What do you think?”

“I think you look beautiful,” he breathed, stepping forward. “And I think the flip flops are very you.”

Emma laughed. “I would’ve been good with just getting married at the courthouse. This was all Bae’s idea.”

“I’m glad I get to give my little girl away, no matter how old fashioned it is.”

“No, I’m glad too. Are you sure you don’t mind if Mom also walks me down the aisle?”

 

The idea had come to Emma during wedding prep. She loved both of her parents so much and they had both played such a big role in her life. She just felt like they both should walk her down the aisle.

 

“Of course I don’t mind,” David shared a smile with his wife. “I loved walking down the aisle with your mother the first time.”

Mary grinned, pecking his lips. “And I your father.”

“Okay, okay,” Emma rolled her eyes. “Enough being gross.”

“You’re 25 and you still find us gross?”

“Always will.”

 

The curtain to the tent opened again and Neal walked in, holding Henry’s hand. The boys were in matching tuxes, looking totally adorable. (Though, Emma knew better than to call her pre-teen brother that.)

 

“Mommy’s a princess!” Henry declared. He was going through a phase where everyone was princes and princesses, but there seemed to be proof to the toddler.

Emma chuckled, lifting him into her arms. “You’re right, kid. I guess I look like one.”

“Is that Mom’s?” Neal asked.

Emma nodded. “Yeah.”

“You do look really pretty, Em.”

She grinned. “Thanks, bud. And thank you for helping Henry with the ring bearer position.”

“Anything for my favorite nephew.”

“Your only nephew.”

“For now,” he said with a glimmer of glee in his eyes.

 

The music began to play and Emma took a deep breath, setting her son back down. Neal squeezed her hand before handing the pillow with the rings to Henry, helping him out and down the aisle. Peering out of the tent, Emma couldn’t see her husband but watched as Gideon headed down the aisle with Roland, Lily with Elsa followed by Ruby with her girlfriend Dorothy and Regina with Robin. The boys and Dorothy were in tuxes, Lily, Ruby, Elsa and Regina wearing matching teal dresses that fell at their knees.

 

“It’s time, sweets,” Mary whispered once Gold and Belle had made it down the aisle, sitting in the front row.  Jason Mraz’s “Lucky” began to play. “You ready?”

“Yeah.” She paused. “Don’t let me fall.”

“Never,” David replied, squeezing her arm.

 

Linking arms with them, Emma headed down the beach. There weren’t many guests and she felt at ease, her family was there with her and that was what was important. She looked up and her eyes locked with Baelfire. He looked so incredibly handsome in his tux, his hair well groomed. It was one of the few times they’d see each other dressed up.

 

They reached the front of the seashell path and Emma kissed her mother’s cheek, followed by her father’s. It was time to let go, it was time for their baby girl to start the next phase of her life. She watched as they settled down by the Golds and Neal, before taking hold of Bae’s hand. Archie, the officiant, grinned at the two of them.

 

“We are gathered here today, to join Emma Ruth Nolan and Baelfire Cassidy Gold in holy matrimony…”

 

He delved in more into what marriage meant, but Emma’s eyes remained locked with Bae. They were standing in the spot where they met, where they returned to time and time again. There were bad memories, but mostly good and that day, they’d be adding yet another amazing memory.

 

Mary and David watched on from their seat, tears in their eyes. There were not enough words that could express how happy they were for her and how proud. She was such an amazing woman, who had overcome a lot in her life, more than any one person should. At the end of the day, that was all they could ask for.

 

After the vows were exchanged and the couple shared their first kiss as a married couple, the reception began. The other side of the beach was set up with food catered by Granny’s and a cake made by Mary. The wedding was relaxed, just what Emma and Bae had wanted. People were able to linger and chit chat. Henry chased around his uncles, while the adults reminisced on the past. Emma looked on at her friends, taking them all in.

 

Robin and Regina had gotten married not long after Henry was born, with her adopting Roland. They were currently expecting a baby girl. Lily and Elsa had started dating when the latter moved to Maine, eloping just a year prior. Dorothy and Ruby weren’t quite there yet, but were definitely in love. It made Emma happy to se her friends so happy. They had supported her through good times and bad, they deserved their own happy endings.

 

After sharing the first dance with Baelfire and watching him have the mother/son dance with Belle, it was time for the father/daughter one. David grinned as “Piece by Piece by Kelly Clarkson” began to play, taking hold of his daughter’s hand, leading her onto the makeshift dancefloor.

 

Emma wrapped her arms around her father’s neck, him doing the same by wrapping his arms around her waist. They listened to the words as they danced, not saying a word. Instead, they allowed the lyrics to wash over them.

 

_But your love, it isn’t free, it has to be earned  
Back then I didn’t have anything you needed so I was worthless_

_But piece by piece, he collected me up_  
_Off the ground, where you abandoned things_  
 _Piece by piece he filled the holes that you burned in me_  
 _Six years old and you know_  
 _He never walks away_  
 _He never asks for money_  
 _He takes care of me_  
 _'Cause he loves me_  
 _Piece by piece, he restored my faith_  
 _That a man can be kind and a father could, stay_

 

Emma had fallen in love with the song the first time it came on the radio and it reminded her of her parents, they had restored her and put her back together. Their family had changed and expanded over the years, but one thing remained the same: the love they all shared.

_Piece by piece I fell far from the tree_  
_I will never leave her like you left me_  
 _And she will never have to wonder her worth_  
 _Because unlike you I’m going to put her first and you know_  
 _He’ll never walk away,_  
 _He’ll never break her heart_  
 _He’ll take care of things, he’ll love her_  
 _Piece by piece, he restored my faith_  
 _That a man can be kind and the father should be great_

That part of the song reminded her of Henry. Her son was such a happy child, so loved. He was quite the contrast with her when she was his age. Not only did that part represent her and Bae’s love for Henry, but their entire family. Emma had been let down by so many people in her life, but Henry wouldn’t feel the same. David, Mary and Neal were among the many who loved him more than all the stars in the sky. He was one of the final missing pieces of their puzzle.

 

Once upon a time, there was a lost little girl who didn’t matter and didn’t think she ever would. One day, she met a prince and a princess who loved her so much. She made friends and even found true love. They all loved her so much, all her pieces came back together.

 

And she lived happily ever after.


End file.
